Changes
by WildFlowerPower
Summary: After everything that has happened, the kids are now adjusting to a new peaceful life. Yet, when emergency calls and they have to start a mission with their parents, everything starts changing even more. Third in my Sky High series
1. Paper Lantern

In a week, so many things had changed. Carrie and Aaron decided to put both Warren and Iah in therapy. Warren, of course hated the idea, but Iah was much more happier accepting it. Since Aaron is finally free and clear from all charges, he went back to being Baron Battle and is going back to school to get a degree in psychology. Iah still visits Loraine everyday, and she's slowly realizing what has happened and what death really is.

Iah has also went through some changes in his powers and hair. He is starting to develop a red streak in his raven hair and everything around him feels hotter. His painful visions are less and less, as the tempture around him gets hotter and hotter. School was the same, as he's gaining more sympathy from other people. Especially from Rogue, as his feelings for her grows more and more each day.

Rogue hasn't seen Tina ever since she scared her on the day of the trial. Tina is in hiding and has more plans for the future. Everything is slowly coming back together, yet is changing all around them. They didn't start hanging out after school, until a week after the trial.

They met at the Paper Lantern on a day that Warren was working, but since it wasn't that busy, he could take frequent breaks without Mrs. Ling yelling at him in Cantonese. He sat down, as Magenta was talking about her cancled trip to England,"So, Grandpa has the flu and it's highly contagious. Damn, I was so looking forward to going." Layla replied,"Yeah, but at least you're here with us." Magenta smirked,"Yeah, don't make it sound all corny, Green Peace." Will asked Iah,"How are you holding up with...you know. That really really bad incident?" Iah replied,"Oh, my parents' death? It's hard. Very very hard. I'm doing therapy and it's all cool."

Zach asked,"Is your therapist hot?" Magenta slapped his arm, as Iah replied,"Considering that he's fifty something and is graying, I would say he takes good care of himself. Not attractive, but healthy." Zach blushed,"Oh. I thought your therapist is a chick. Sorry."

Iah replied,"No big deal. He's pretty understanding. Wren hates him." Warren rolled his eyes,"He said something about 'emotional value' and 'appreciation of other peoples feelings'. He nearly made me sick." He smirked at Layla,"Hippie, if you plan to dump Stronghold anytime soon, I think Dr. Wakefield is your kind of guy." Layla rolled her eyes,"Will and I aren't breaking up anytime soon."

Warren felt awkward about that comment. Apparently, he's been dreaming and fantasizing about Will dumping Layla lately, and whenever he sees them together, he gets this painful pit in his stomach. He doesn't know why, but that's been happening a lot lately. Yet, he wasn't going to complain to some therapist quack about his "feelings" and everything.

Will said out loud,"You know, I've been having some freaky dreams lately?" Ethan replied, mocking a therapist with a deep voice, tapping his chin,"Really? Do tell." Everyone started cracking up, as Will replied,"Seriously, they're weird. There's all of these green plants and a huge tree surrounding me. Then, there's Chinese food that's on fire on the other side, both fighting. They argue in squeaky voices and it's just so weird."

Warren looked at him with a straight face,"You know what I think?" "What?" "I think you've been taking drugs." Everyone at the table cracked up, as Warren smirked at him. Will replied,"Haha very funny. You're all comedians. Very nice." Will shook his head,"Ever since Homecoming, I've been having those dreams. It's so weird."

Ethan replied,"Yeah, they do seem strange." Rogue asked,"Have you been eating or drinking anything particular before going to bed?" Will shook his head,"Nope. Mom doesn't let me have anything but water before bed. If I do get hungry, she'll let me have some yogart and that's it."

Ethan replied,"Maybe it's because you're spending a lot of time with Layla." Magenta nodded,"Makes sense. You know, the plants, the Chinese food. The fire? I can't tell ya that one." Rogue replied,"It's so simple!" "It is?" Layla and Will said in unison. Rogue nodded, taking a sip of her Coke,"The fire stands for her red hair. I think what your dream means is that your subconsious is debating over which thing you like about Layla most. The plants being her personality, the food being her interests, and the fire being her looks. You're trying to decide why you love her."

Iah poked around his beef and broccoli,"I don't know. I think it stands for something else. The plants are obviously Layla, but the fire and food are another symbol for something, or someone else." Layla looked at Will rather bitterly and said,"Will, are you thinking about going out with another girl?" Iah cleared his throat,"Don't get too offensive. It could stand for a friend, stuff he has to do, or something else."

Layla replied,"Still, I don't want my heart broken. I would hate to find out that you cheated on me." Will touched her hand and replied,"I would never cheat on you Layla. I love you." They kissed, as Warren got up and left. Assuming he was just busy and or annoyed by their love, the gang went back to eating quietly.

* * *

Carrie had just came back from her doctor's appointment, as she looked at a note on the fridge.

_Hey Babe,_

_Sorry, I had to step out. The bank was robbed (again), so of course I had to be there to help out. I hope your appointment goes well and I'll be home real soon to help you relax.  
_

_Love,  
_

_-Aaron.  
_

Carrie smiled, yet she was worried about him, of course. She always worried about him whenever he went out heroing. She went to the couch and turned on the t.v. She put it on the news channel, hopefully seeing her husband on there. Warren got off of work early that day, as Carrie heard him come in,"Hi honey. How was work?" He sighed,"There wasn't a lot of service today. Stronghold and the rest of them were eating today, so I kinda hung out with them on break."

Carrie replied,"That's good." He took off his combat boots and socks. He sat next to Carrie, putting his feet up on the coffee table and sighing very loudly. Carrie giggled,"I take it you had a pretty rough day, huh?" Warren replied,"Not really. Just tiring." He yawned, as Carrie asked,"Got a lot of homework?" He shook his head,"No. We had a lot of subs today because of a teacher confrence or something."

Carrie nodded, as the door opened and closed. Aaron came in, still in costume, as Carrie said,"Whoa, I thought you were out at the bank." Aaron nodded,"Yeah, but it's over now. Turns out the guy was completely insane, so they sent him away immediately." Carrie replied, getting up,"I'm glad your home." They kissed, as Aaron looked at Warren,"You're home early." Warren nodded,"There wasn't a lot of service today." Aaron replied,"Oh okay. You look drained." Warren yawned and said,"I am." Aaron suggested,"How about you work on your homework, get something to eat, take a nice hot shower and go to bed early tonight."

Warren grabbed his bookbag and boots and went upstairs to his room. Aaron kissed Carrie passionately,"How was the appointment?" Carrie replied,"It went very well. Rachael told me that the baby is growing at it's normal rate and I'll be in my second trimester in no time." She sighed,"So, enjoy my skinny body because I'm going to say goodbye to it VERY soon!"

Aaron replied,"Yes, but you'll still be beautiful. How about you get into bed and relax, while I take care of everything." Carrie sighed,"I don't know. You have to pick up Iah from the Paper Lantern, go get groceries, fix dinner, make sure that the boys are in bed by ten, and-" He interrupted her by kissing her, as he said,"Goldie, I'll take care of everything. Just relax. You need to relax, especially being pregnant." Carrie replied,"You're already acting like I'm eight months pregnant or something."

Aaron replied,"No, I'm just saying that relaxation is good for you and the baby, so," he kissed her again,"relax and I'll take care of everything." Carrie replied,"Okay. List of groceries are on the counter. No junk food, and make sure that you pick up my prenatals at the clinic." "I won't forget, I promise."


	2. Iah's New Powers

"Zach, it's your turn to pick a movie." Will said, sipping his juice. "All right!" Zach shouted, as everyone else at the lunch table groaned. Warren shook his head,"Stronghold, did you get hit in the head or something last night?" Magenta replied,"Yeah, I've been to Zach's house and have seen his movie tastes. They suck nitrogen bombs!" Zach replied with anger,"No they don't! They're great!" Layla replied,"It is his turn, since we're doing this alphabetically." Will replied,"Yeah. It goes; Ethan, Iah, Layla, Magenta, Rogue, Warren, me, and Zach."

Rogue shook her head,"I don't like to point fingers or stereotype anyone, but Zach seems like the type of guy that has...well... zany taste in movies." Zach replied,"I am NOT zany, thank you!" Ethan looked at Iah's tray and said,"Uh, Iah, you're tray is melting." Iah replied,"What?" Iah let go out of the tray, as it dripped from the table. Iah replied,"That's weird. That's been happening to me a lot lately."

Ethan gasped,"You're real powers!" "Huh?" Everyone said in unison. Ethan cleared his throat,"Okay, remember what you guys said about Iah being Warren's dad's other son, right? Well, when The Black Widow took Iah's real powers away and put him under the care of the Stamos', his powers weren't actually gone. They were dormant. I read about this. Anytime a child's powers are taken away by someone and is sent to another family, they'll never come back as long as they're with them. Yet, since Iah's parents are dead and he's been in the care of his real father, his real powers have returned."

Iah asked,"How?" "The bond. It's the bond between you, Aaron, and Warren. It's that bloodline that helps your true powers return. That's why you haven't been having visions lately. In no time, you'll lose your psychic ability and become a Pyro!"  
Iah asked,"What about my invisiblity?" Ethan replied,"They may stay. Since The Black Widow is your biological mother, you'll inheriet her powers of invisiblity and shapeshifting. All of your psychic powers, empathic abilities, and stopping time may fade."

Iah was relieved,"Yes! I won't be psychic anymore!" Will asked,"Why is that a good thing?" Iah sighed,"You have no idea how painful and unbearable they are. I predicted my parents' death in my dreams. Dude, you don't want that! Ever!" Layla replied,"Well, this is wonderful! Now we have two Pyros and two shapeshifters!" Rogue groaned,"Man, this sounds like an episode of Jerry Springer!"

Magenta replied,"Yeah, except without the rednecks throwing chairs at each other or women of different shapes and sizes walking around half or completely naked!" They looked at her, as she said,"I was flipping through channels once and saw an episode. I wanted to laugh and puke at the same time." Rogue replied,"Actually with us, it sounds almost soap opera-ish." Iah replied,"You can't be comparing us to the soaps. That's just plain wrong." Rogue smirked,"Whatever Newbie Hothead!"

Iah replied angrily,"Never. Call. Me. Hot Head. Or. Newbie. Ever. Again!" His arms started flaming as Warren had to shove him to the ground and get him to calm down. Rogue was scared. Iah was usually laid back and calm, and never quick tempered. Warren helped him up, as he said,"Okay, first rule kiddo. Never let your anger control you, got it?" Iah nodded, as he apologized to Rogue. He had no idea what came over him.

* * *

When Warren and Iah got home that day, Carrie asked them,"How was school?" Warren broke the news to her,"Mom, I think Iah's becoming one of us?" Carrie asked,"What do you mean, honey?" Warren sighed,"I mean, he's becoming a Pyro like dad and me." Carrie replied,"Oh wow! What about your other powers?" Iah replied,"Fading, thank god. I think some of the powers Tina gave me are staying since biologically I'm her kid, unfortunately."

Iah smiled and said,"But I think other than who I thought was my real mother, you're my only real mom, so that's good." Carrie awed, as Warren said,"Please, I'm gonna be sick." Carrie used her telekinesis to whack Warren with a rolled up newspaper and said,"Be kind to your new brother Warren! Also, I want you to be kind to your new baby brother or sister, too."

Warren and Iah went to their room, as Carrie shook her head._ Why can't he behave sometimes?_

* * *

Tina cackled, as Darrel asked,"What now, Tine?" She replied,"Dare, I have a plan to rid of those Sky High freaks once and for all!" Darrel rolled his eyes,"That'll be the day when hell freezes over. I'm telling you Tina, this isn't going to work. They keep defeating us."

Tina scoffed and said,"No, I have an even better plan. Let's start a fake mission around the world for them and have their parents go with them. It'll be so hard for them to complete! It's brilliant! Brilliant!" Darrel rolled his eyes,"Who are you? Yzma?"

Tina rolled her eyes,"Just follow and do as I say!" Darrel replied,"I do, but it's so stupid because your plans always fail." "They do not!" "Do too! They're so dumb and childish!" Tina replied,"Well this time it's different. This time, it's personal!"


	3. Bad Movie

**Sorry if the last chapter seemed kinda rushed and hurried. I really do apologize for that. Look, all I'm trying to do is to take my precious time with this story because I really want you guys to see my vision of how I would've have done the movie (pretty everyone on fanfiction says that) and I just have this story line that I wanna share (obviously!). This battles Iah's changes, Warren and Will's emotions towards each other, Will and Layla's relationship, Zach and Magenta's relationship, Ethan's on and off feelings for Freeze Girl, and Carrie's pregnancy. **

**So yeah, this story may seem it's taking forever, but if I rush, you guys will completely hate me for it and I AM BAD for rushing stories and as I've gotten older, I realize that's a very bad thing to do as a writer, so please bear (or is it "bare"?) with me and please give me your criticisms and opinions to help me become a better writer. If you bash or flame me or any fighting against another member commenting, keep in mind that your little spat will be removed!**

**Anyway, sorry for my rambling. I hope this molds and builds into something more and I really hope that a huge percentage (or even a decent percentage) wishes for me to carry on with this and turn this into something huge!  
**

**Enjoy reading! :D!**

* * *

"Ow!" Magenta yelped, as Rogue was brushing her hair. "Sorry Maj! Just a lot of tangles are in your hair. It looks so pretty when it's down and all brushed out." Magenta replied,"I know. I'm debating whether I should chop some of it off or not." Layla replied, braiding a small portion of Magenta's hair,"Your choice, your hair. It's all up to you." Magenta snorted,"Tell that to my mom. She's so weird. She'll let me color it purple, but not cut it. I get yearly trims just to get some of the frizz out and that's it."

Rogue replied,"That's kinda sucky." Magenta replied,"I know right! All I want is one cute little braid in my hair to see if it looks good or not, and it takes the two of you to brush it and braid it out." They sighed, as Zach came back with a movie. Everyone groaned. Ethan was sipping on an IBC root beer and asked,"Is it a B horror movie with cheesy effects?" Iah replied,"With Zach, it's probably so bad that it can't be a "P" movie! And I doubt that "P" movies even exist!"

Ethan shook his head,"They don't." Warren replied,"Can we hurry this up before we all turn thirty?" Zach replied,"Hold on to your tight pants! I'm going to put my movie in the DVD player!" Warren whispered to Will,"At least my pants don't hang off from my butt cheeks and show the world a pair of neon ducky boxers!"

Will chuckled, as Zach turned around and pointed a finger at him,"I heard that!" Warren rolled his eyes,"Just put the damn movie in, Glowworm!" Zach nearly shouted back,"I already did! Ha!" Warren cocked an eyebrow at him, as Zach said nervously,"Okay, I'm cool. I'm just...uh...gonna sit next to Ethan."

When Will grabbed the DVD remote to play the movie, everyone froze on what movie Zach picked. Then, one by one, they all started bursting out laughing, except for Zach. Zach got up and said,"What?! What's wrong with it? This is a classic and beautiful film that has touched me since I was a little boy!"

Will replied,"Really Zach? Really?" Zach replied,"It's so touching and beautiful! Makes me cry every time I see it." Magenta replied,"Zach, it's the "Little Engine That Could". How is that heart warming and touching?" Warren replied,"I gotta say, this time you sank really low with the movie choice." Zach's lip quivered, as he gave his puppy dog face, which looked even more sillier than him picking "The Little Engine That Could" as a movie choice.

Will replied,"Guys, it's Zach's turn. Besides, maybe it is a good film." Everyone looked at each other with concern, as Will played the movie.

For a short children's movie, it was longer than expected. An hour and thirty minutes too long. It had all of the classical elements of a corny children's movie; bad puns, characters talking about "positive feelings" and "good values and lessons". Every character sounded like they were talking to babies. And Zach started crying, when the Little Engine said,"I think I can! I think I can!"

Zach cried and replied,"Yes you can, Little Engine! All you have to do is believe in yourself!" He grabbed the tissues and wiped his eyes and blew his nose into it. Iah turned to Magenta and asked,"What do you see in him?" Magenta shrugged and replied,"Don't know. Right now he's making it very difficult to even understand why we even hang out."

After the movie was over, Will said,"Okay, we all know the rules in this house about crappy films. If you don't know, then I'll repeat them; If someone brings a crap-film and everybody hates it, then we will pick a film from my movie shelf." Layla replied,"Ooh, let's watch a Disney movie tonight!"

Will replied,"Okay! I have plenty of those! Any suggestions?" Rogue replied,"How about Tarzan? I love that movie!" Will replied,"I don't know. I mean, I have it, but it's a little...emotional, especially right now, since everything that went down..."

He trailed off, as he started to look at Iah. Iah replied,"Why are you staring at me?" Then he realized and replied,"Seriously? Don't worry about me!" Layla replied,"Iah, you just recently lost your parents and your little sister has to live here at Will's house and you moved in with Warren." Ethan replied,"Also, you're getting new powers and your old ones are leaving." Rogue replied,"Yeah, it sounds pretty traumatic, don't you think?"

The room was silenced, as Rogue replied,"How about George of the Jungle? It's like Tarzan, only it's more of a parody of him and much funnier. There isn't a lot of drama in it, either." Everyone agreed on it, as Will went upstairs to his room to retrieve it and then put in the DVD played in the living room.

* * *

Before Iah left Will's house, we went into Loraine's room to see her sleeping. He looked at her room, all decorated with pink and purple, just like her old one. He smiled. _ Steve and Josie are really great with her. I'm glad she's with them._ He knew now that all along he never really was her biological brother. Yet, that will never stop him from being a brother to her.

He walked closer to her bed, and petted her long black hair. He didn't know how Tina did it or why, but she definitely changed his life. Her life, too. Will has told Iah about Loraine playing this game with her Barbie dolls about a little girl who's parents die and older brother has to live up the road from her.

Iah went to the boy's room after that and cried, cursing Tina under his breath. He hated her. Absolutely **HATES** her! She has done nothing but cause pain and suffering since she took Warren and Rogue to Kent Hall. Loraine stirred and looked up at Iah. She asked,"Iah, what's going on?" He kissed her cheek and said,"Go back to sleep, Rae. Go back to sleep. Just rest."

Instantly, Loraine went back to sleep, as Iah left. A tear drop left his face, as he walked out of her bedroom. Will looked at him and said,"You went into Rae's room, huh?" Iah nodded, as more tears came down. He hates being such an emotional kid. He wasn't so emotional to the point where everything sweet or cute made him cry, but certain things did.

Will patted his back very gently, trying not to hurt Iah. It nearly knocked the breath out of him, but Will tried. Warren walked up to them and said,"Should I ask?" Iah shrugged and replied,"Forget it. Let's just go home." Now Warren was concerned. Iah usually talked to Warren whenever something was wrong, even if Warren drowned him out.

As Iah walked away, he asked,"No, seriously. What's wrong?" Iah replied,"I just saw Rae, sleeping. I just...I just have a lot of shit on my mind right now, so don't even worry about it." Warren actually was a little worried. Considering all that's happened in past two months, Iah was an exceptionally happy child. He always was and that shocked Warren a little, considering he was more of the type that got angry whenever things went wrong.

Iah looked more on the brighter side of things, but now it's gotten harder and harder. They walked home, as lightening and thunder hit the sky. They didn't care if it rained. They couldn't stop it anyway. If it rained on them, it rained on them and there was nothing they could do about it.

* * *

As soon as Warren and Iah returned home, they were drenched, soaking wet from the rain. Aaron looked at them and said,"Hey, how was Will's?" Warren replied,"Okay, I guess." Carrie looked at them and said,"Oh my god, you're both soaking wet! You could've called us and we would've picked you up." Warren replied,"Mom, we live right up the road from Stronghold's. It's no big deal." Carrie replied,"Well I think it is. Both of you, upstairs, shower, change into pajamas. Warren dried off instantly, leaving the water into steam.

Iah tried doing that, as Warren went upstairs. Iah tried, but it only made him look constipated. Aaron chuckled at him, as Iah said,"How does he do that?!" Aaron patted his shoulder,"It takes time. You're powers are still premature. You have to practice. Here, let me dry you off."

Aaron waved his hands over Iah, as all of the water turned to steam. Iah smiled,"Cool!" He went upstairs to shower, while Warren was reading a book.

* * *

_She contacted all close villains and supernatural creatures for her new plan...to rid the world of the children who saved Sky High and allowed Baron Battle to go free and become a super again._


	4. Freak Out

The next day at breakfast, everyone sat at the table. Carrie and Aaron had both made breakfast, as Warren and Iah sat down at the table. Iah was already dressed, but everyone else was in their pajamas. Warren looked at him and asked,"Why did you get dressed?" Iah shrugged and replied,"I'm used to it. Back at my...old house, my...other parents enforced dressing before breakfast. I don't know why."

Carrie replied,"It's better to eat in your pajamas, so you won't get your school clothes dirty. That's why we eat in our pajamas." She glared at Warren when she said,"There's also another rule for not being in the kitchen without clothes on!" Warren rolled his eyes and replied,"Mom, that was one time!" Aaron asked,"What happened?" Carrie sighed and said,"Last year, Wren went through a phase-"

"Oh god, not this again!"

"-where he slept without ANY clothes on! Just butt naked! And one morning, he forgot to put a robe or even some decent underpants or pants on. So there, I see him. I walk into the kitchen for coffee and what do I see?"

Warren groaned in embarrassment, as Carrie went on,"I see a half asleep, half awake, naked Pyro telekinetic right in front of me! I looked away and said,"Warren, why aren't you wearing anything?!" then, he freaked out and ran upstairs. It was so embarrassing!"

Iah was left in laughing tears, as Warren had his head, face down on the table. Aaron chuckled and replied,"I went through the same phrase when I got with you." Carrie replied, as she walked towards the table,"Yeah, but that was before we had kids." Aaron chuckled, as he leaned down,"You liked it." Carrie blushed and said,"Shut up." He kissed her neck and said,"Make me."

Carrie looked at him and said quietly,"Later. Now, we have to eat, send the boys to school, I have to go to work and then you have to get your degree." Aaron whispered,"How about tonight?" Carrie replied,"Aaron, I don't know." "C'mon. I wanna spend a lot more with you. Today after school, I'll spend the entire time with Warren and Iah after they're done with homework. Then at night, I'll dedicate the whole night to you and only you."

Carrie smiled and looked at him and said,"Okay." He smiled and replied,"That's my girl." He kissed her, as they sat the table. Aaron patted Warren's bare shoulder and said,"Wake up, kiddo!" Warren woke, not realizing he had fallen asleep. Iah started laughing, nearly choking on his orange juice, when Warren threw a small fire ball at him. Carrie slapped Warren's hand and said,"Hey! No powers at the table!"

* * *

On the bus, Rogue was exceptionally and oddly random that day. She sat next to Warren, while Iah and Ethan sat next to each other. Rogue touched her lips to her nose and said,"Wow! My nose is very cold today!" Warren rolled his eyes,"Why? Want me to heat it up for ya?"

Rogue giggled,"Nah. I don't think you should waste your awesome, scary, fire powers on my wee little nose." Warren shook his head and smirked,"You're too cute, Peachy. You're **too** cute." Rogue asked,"What type of cute?" Warren sighed,"A Pucca and Hello Kitty sugar plum fairy crossover cute. It's sickening."

"But I've always been that way." "I know. And I've been tolerating that side of you since we could talk." Rogue replied,"Oh, so would you like me better if I were a motorcycle mama or something?" Warren chuckled,"Just stay the way you are." Rogue shrugged, as the bus started to kick off.

She looked at Warren and said,"Oh and I nearly forgot to tell you! I wrote a new song last night! A Moldy Peaches song inspired me to make it up!" Warren groaned,"Oh god, it isn't about the rubber ducky making friends with a milkshake, is it?"  
"No, this one's different. May I sing it for you?" "Could you save your voice for chorus? Not saying you can't sing, but-" She perked up and said,"Yay! I'll sing it!"

She started,"Ahem!"

_There's a monkey in a tree_

_There's a funny bumble bee  
_

_You are the boat to my sea  
_

_Cake makes me wanna dance!  
_

_I go to France and wear funny pants  
_

_C'mon c'mon let's spin around in circles and sing!  
_

_Bananas are awesome, and-  
_

Warren put his hand to her mouth, as she was muffling under his hand. She tried licking it and biting it, but Warren wouldn't move it. Warren smirked and replied,"Nice song. Can't hear a damn thing." She glared at him, as he said,"Please, you're glares are about as scary as Spongebob wearing underpants." He chuckled, as she groaned.

She knew with Warren around, she just couldn't win.

* * *

At school, things were running smoothly...until Save The Citizen. Ethan and Magenta were being paired up with Layla and Rogue. Rogue was nervous, being her first time doing Save The Citizen. She whispered to Layla,"I'm so nervous! What if I mess up?" Layla replied,"Just relax. We're preventing them from saving the dummy, and if they get it-" "I know the mechanics of the game! I just wanna turn invisible, so nobody can see me choke."

Layla smiled and replied,"You're not going to fail at this. We're going to kick their butts!" Boomer blew his whistle, as the game started. Ethan melted and made Rogue slip on her back. He came back as a solid and said,"Sorry, Rogue." Layla put him in vines, as Magenta shape shifted into a guinea pig and tried biting the vines off.

Rogue couldn't get up. She kept seeing visions of her playing the Kent Hall versions of Save the Citizen:

_"No! I refuse to do it! No!" Tina shoved her and said,"Do it or I'll lock you up for life!" Lightening poured out of her body, as she whispered,"I'm sorry, War." She electrocuted Warren, as she heard him screaming. She stopped, as she ran towards him, holding onto him, as Tina tried pulling her away saying,"You don't need him and he doesn't need you! Dangerous creatures like the two of you cannot be together!"_

__At the end of the game, Layla and Rogue won, but Rogue wouldn't get up. Layla, Ethan, and Magenta kept trying to wake her. Warren, Iah, Will, and Zach ran to her in the arena and tried waking her.

"Rogue? Rogue! Please wake up! Please!"

"C'mon! C'mon! Get up!"

"I'm sorry I made you slip! I didn't mean to!"

"Peach! C'mon! Get up!"

Iah started powering up out of rage and frustration, as teachers had to restrain him. He still doesn't have full control of his new ability. When Rogue's eyes did open, she clung to Warren, screaming,"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She started crying, as Zach asked,"What happened? Why is she acting like this?" Warren replied,"I don't know. It's scaring the hell out of me."


	5. Urgent Messages

She woke up in the nurse's office, wondering what happened to her. Nurse Spex looked at her and said,"Oh Rogue! You're finally awake!" Rogue tried bringing herself back to reality, as Nurse Spex replied,"You had a nasty fall there. Odd because I spoke to Ethan and he felt it was his fault." She threw a plastic glove in the trash and said,"It wasn't. It was trauma."

Rogue replied,"Trauma?" Nurse Spex replied,"It was a Kent Hall flashback, wasn't it?" Rogue replied,"I don't remember. I try not to remember all that happened there. It was too..." She trailed off, as Nurse Spex explained,"Your parents and Principal Powers sent files from the events that happened there. Surprisingly, you and Warren Peace are the only two Tina Zane Kent Hall victims that have ever attended at this school. I mean, we've had handfuls of Kent Hall victims, but the one that happened in the 90's was the worse one."

"Really?" Rogue replied, still confused. Nurse Spex nodded,"Yup. I have a suggestion for you." Nurse Spex gave her a pamphlet and replied,"This is a top notch psychiatric office that helps super powered people with their issues. The doctor's name is Bernie Wakefield, and I hear he's very very good at what he does for heroes. I'll ask Principal Powers if she can set up anything with the guidance counselor and see how that goes with you."

Rogue was unsure about going, but after what had just happened, she was willing to try just about anything to cure herself of the dreaded flashbacks.

* * *

Rob and Jennette picked Rogue up from school. As soon as they got home, Jennette calmly said,"Honey, do you want anything to eat? Are you hungry?" Rogue knew that something was wrong there. Whenever her mom speaks that way, she knows something's up and that she's about to tell her something bad. Rogue replied,"I've been craving carrots all day, so may I have some carrots?"

Jennette replied,"Sure. I'll wash and cut them for you, okay?" Rogue asked,"Are you guys going back to work today?" Rob replied,"No, we're going tomorrow. We want to stay here and make sure that you're okay." Rogue felt a little tired. After eating her carrots, she went to her room and took a nap. She was hoping that tomorrow would be a better day for her.

* * *

Later that day, Rogue sat on her swing set. She was thinking, swinging, kinda bored. She was scared about what had happened that day. She had never suffered from a blackout or passing out before. A voice came from behind her,"Hey." She turned to look at him,"Hey, Will." Secretly, Rogue was wishing that it was Warren, but he was working.

Warren usually was the one that would talk to her on her swing set. Or Iah, but he too wasn't there. He was in a therapy session. Rogue didn't mind talking to Will, but the problem with Will is that he never was on that understanding level that Warren was on with her. He never knew what it was like and never will. Yet, Will was usually there if Warren wasn't, so she decided to spill her guts with him.

"You scared us today." Will said, sitting down on the second swing. Rogue nodded,"Sorry. I didn't mean to." Will smiled a little,"It's okay. I know about what happened when you were really little." Rogue hummed a bit in the awkward silence, as Will asked,"What did you see when you fainted?"

"What?" "What did you see? Usually when people faint, they kinda go into a different state in their minds. Did you go into a place?" Rogue shrugged,"I don't remember." Will replied,"Lucky you." "Why's that?" Will sighed,"Do you swear not to tell anybody, especially Layla?"

Rogue replied,"They shall lead me to the guillotine to die, before I reveal a sacred secret." "Ouch! Where did you quote that from?" Rogue replied,"Eh, no where. I kinda just thought of France in the 1700's and it came to me. Anyway, what's going on with you lately?" Will replied,"There's these...dreams. They scare me."

"What goes on in them?" "I don't know. For some reason, there's Gwen and Layla and they act like they're evil. Well, Gwen is evil in real life, but not Layla. Except, in my dreams, she's not evil, just neglectful of me. Anyway, they make my life miserable, and then Warren's there and is always there. It's just so...it acts so...as if...well...Warren and I are...together."

Rogue looked at him oddly and replied,"As in a couple?" Will nodded, as Rogue asked,"Do you have feelings for-" Will interrupted her almost immediately,"No! I mean, I like him, but not like that! I gotta admit, he's a good lookin' guy, but I'm not going to...you know, kiss him or anything."

Rogue replied,"I know. They're just dreams." Will looked down at his feet, as Rogue asked,"Are you planning on telling Layla?" Will's head shot up as he said,"No! Whatever we talk about on this swing set, stays at this swing set!" Rogue asked,"Maybe Layla can help. She's very understanding." "Yeah, but remember when I first mentioned the plant and Chinese food dreams at the Paper Lantern? When Iah said that the burning Chinese food could stand for something else, didn't you see Layla's reaction? She acted like I was cheating on her!"

Rogue touched his shoulder and said,"Look, you're Layla's first boyfriend, so it's normal for her to feel jealousy. Even though Layla's sweet and understanding, she's still a human being that will feel hurt." Will replied,"But...I just...I don't know what's wrong with me lately."

Rogue smiled and said,"It's being in high school. Just relax and everything will get better."

* * *

Josie was looking through her emails that day, as both herself and Jetstream. She had to admit it, having two separate email accounts for herself as two different people was just plain hard. She had "Josie Stronghold; Realtor", yet she had "Jetstream; Hero". She couldn't be just one thing and keep it. She found that out when she got her powers and went to Sky High.

_You have 68 messages._

That was just her as a realtor. She then checked her account as Jetstream.

_You have 9,876 messages. _

Josie sighed and rubbed her temples. She couldn't take anymore for today. She hated trying to go by each one at a time, and then suddenly, twenty more messages appear. She clicked on one that said, _Urgent! Must Read! _She was hoping that it wasn't a chain letter message. She clicked on it, as it read;

_Commander and Jetstream,_

_ This message is HIGHLY urgent and important, so please read carefully!  
_

_ There's been serious villain activity in the tropical islands, and it has caused many deaths and injuries for many supers. You two cannot work alone. You must team up with the supers closest to you. Even your own child/children must be with you when this mission happens. You need to have or create your own team of supers to complete this task. Your mission will start soon in October and will have at least two weeks to complete the tasks given to you and your teams. This could be one of the biggest missions of your lifetime.  
_

_-Unknown Watcher.  
_

__Josie was now concerned. Of course her and Steve have had plenty of fake mission-like messages, but none quite like this one. She called out to him,"Steve! Could you come up to the office room, please?!" He walked in there and asked,"What is it, honey?" She asked,"Have you checked you messages lately?" Steve replied,"Yeah, there's another realtor contest for a trip to Aspen."

Josie replied,"No, I meant the ones under your Commander account. There's this message talking about an upcoming message." She got up out of the spinning chair and let Steve sit down and read it. He squinted at the screen and replied,"Huh. Weird. Let me go under mine." He went under _new tab_ and opened up a new window for looking up his email address.

When he opened it up, the first message on there said, _Urgent! Please Read! _Josie pointed at it,"It's that one! Click on it!" He did and started reading it,"Oh my god, it's just like yours!" "Exactly!" "Are you sure it's legit?" Josie replied,"Hmm, better call the others."

She went into the living room and started calling. The first person she called was Jennette. Jennette didn't answer, but Rob did.

"Hi Rob!...Yes, I have to ask you something...Have you checked your email lately?...No, not the realtor one, the one under your hero identity...That one! Have you checked it?...Well, Steve and I both received a message about an upcoming mission, and we're curious to see if it's real or fake...Okay, call me back as soon as you and Jen check...Bye!"

The next person she called was Chelsea Williams.

"Hi Chelsea, are you and Shannon busy?...No?...Okay then, I have to ask you about something...Um, have you checked you email under your hero identity?...Steve and I got this message about an upcoming mission and I need to see if it's real or not...Okay, call me back as soon as you check...Bye!"

Next was Carrie Peace.

"Hi!...Oh hi, Aaron!...Sorry, I wasn't expecting you...I didn't know Carrie was at work...Listen, could you do me a favor...Could you check your messages under your hero identity?...Steve and I got this message from someone called "Unknown Watcher", saying that there's this upcoming mission...Yes, I know it could be fake, we've fallen for those before...Yet, I wanna be sure that it's legit or not...Okay, please call me back as soon as you check and please tell Carrie when she gets back home...Thank you so much...Bye!"

She called Magenta's mom, Lydia, Ethan's mom, Mae, and Zach's dad, Ross. None of them had checked their messages yet. Rob called her back a few minutes later and told her that he and Jennette had the same messages as Josie and Steve. Chelsea called back, had the same message.

Lydia, Mae, and Ross called back and said they,too, had the same _Urgent!_ letter. A few hours later, Carrie called, saying that her and Aaron both have the same messages. That's when Josie knew that something was definitely going on.


	6. Fight Club

The next day, Rogue was back at school, feeling better than ever. It was now lunchtime, as all of the the rainbow coordinate friends gathered around one table. Layla asked quietly,"Hey Rogue. Are alright?" Rogue nodded, as Ethan touched Rogue's shoulder and asked,"Are you mad at me?" Rogue shook her head,"No! Why would I be upset at you? I love you too much, Ethan. You're like one of my best guy friends!"

A pang of jealously hit Iah, when Rogue told Ethan that she "loved" him. He knew that she didn't mean it as if she were actually in love with Ethan, but those words had stung Iah like a wasp. Rogue gave Ethan a reassuring look, and gave Will one and winked at him. Will looked confused, as Rogue was trying to drop hints that his secret about his dream was safe with her.  
She rolled her eyes when Will didn't get it and mouthed,"Never mind." Will mouthed,"What?" Rogue growled, as Magenta asked,"What's up between the two of you?"

Zach asked Will,"Whoa! Don't tell me that you, Layla, and Rogue are in one of those love triangles that they show on Oprah!" Everyone gave him a look, as Rogue replied,"No! It's just...uh...um...nothing." Layla replied,"Will, what are you and Rogue hiding from us? You know that you can tell us anything, right?" Will replied,"It's nothing. Rogue and I were talking about these weird dreams that I've been having."

Rogue replied,"So, you're just going to go ahead and tell them, after you confide in me not to tell?" Will sighed and replied,"I have no choice. Here it goes." Layla, Magenta, Ethan, and Iah all leaned in, as Will said,"I had this weird dream that..." Rogue was thinking, _Oh no. His relationship with Layla will be ruined and Warren will murder him! _"...I ate Warren's snake by accident and you all turn into cannibals!"

Will winked at Rogue, as Rogue sighed of relief. Everyone looked at him oddly, as Ethan replied,"Wait a second. That doesn't make any sense what so ever! How is eating Warren's snake, Demon, have in common with all of us turning into cannibals?" Will shrugged,"I don't know. It was just weird. I guess I watched a movie or read a book that made me think of Demon and cannibals." Magenta replied,"Uh, that's weird. Getting off the subject, I think since Halloween is getting closer and closer, we should do something, like throw a party with just the eight of us or something."

Will replied, beaming,"We could totally have it at my house!" Magenta lowered her eyes to her tray awkwardly and replied,"Uh, actually Will, I was thinking about having it at Warren and Iah's house." Warren replied,"WHAT?!" Iah replied"Cool! Um, we'll have to ask, but I love the idea." Warren replied"No, no, no!" Iah smirked and replied,"C'mon! It'll be awesome! We could play some Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson music, look all freaky, and get some strobe lights from Spencer's!"

Warren groaned, as Layla replied,"That sounds awesome! I've already been thinking about my costume idea!" Ethan asked,"What is it?" Layla beamed and grinned, as she said,"A zombie daisy!" Will replied,"That's sick, twisted, and adorable all in one!" Warren replied,"Please, I'm gonna be sick!"

* * *

The rest of the day was going smoothly, until before sixth period that afternoon. Iah was walking down the hallways with Magenta and Ethan, until someone threw something at him. Iah turned around and saw a kid with short light blonde hair, and dark sea green eyes. He was very pale and lanky, and was carrying rocks with him. Knowing about the Peace's temper, the little punk still wanted to test Iah's wits.

The kid cackled and smirked, saying,"How does it feel being a half-breed Pyrokinetic?" Magenta and Ethan looked at the kid, as Iah replied,"I'm not a half-breed, asshole! You're just jealous because I have two powers." The kid snorted and replied,"Right! Everyone knows that you're so called "real daddy" screwed around with the Black Widow and everything. You're her kid, aren't ya?" Iah started powering up, as Ethan said,"Don't pick a fight with him, Iah! That's Andrew Granite. He can manipulate rocks and stones or even boulders. He may not look it, but he's pretty strong."

Iah smirked and said in a more cocky way,"Ethan, relax. I can handle this freak show. I'm a Pyrokinetic and I have invisibility. I can kick his butt with my eyes closed! Watch and learn." Magenta rolled her eyes, and looked at Ethan saying,"Typical male. No offense." Ethan sighed,"None taken."

Iah replied in a cocky way,"C'mon Andy! Bring it on!" Andrew rolled his eyes and said,"Alright, you little Criss Angel wannabe! I'll bring it on!" Andrew developed a huge rock, as Iah went invisible. Andrew threw it, as everyone ducked. It dented someone's locker, as Andrew made a face, thinking, _Crap! That wasn't supposed to happen!_ Iah powered up, but when he powered up, he could no longer turned invisible. He was just one big ball of fire.

He ran towards Andrew with fierce fire trailing behind him. As Andrew threw more rocks and stones at him, Iah kept burning them up, as they crashed into people's lockers. Then, someone came up from behind Iah and tackled him down to the floor. Andrew backed away, as Iah tried getting up. He heard a deep familiar voice from behind him, say,"Granite, leave now, before I burn you up!" Andrew ran as fast as he could, as Iah was lifted by the collar of his shirt.

"Ow! What the hell dude?!" He was now face to face with Warren. "Shit," Iah gulped, as Warren was pissed more than ever at him. Iah chuckled nervously and replied,"Funny story really-" "No! Don't even think about explaining this one to me." "What is going on here?" Principal Powers asked, as she was right behind them. Iah gulped, as Warren gave her a lesser threatening look. Magenta was frozen, as Principal powers said,"Must I keep you in detention, Warren Peace? Three times in a row means that I'm going to have to ex spell you from the school."

Ethan spoke up,"Principal Powers, it's not Warren Peace's fault. Andrew Granite challenged Iah to a fight. He started it, he provoked him by throwing a rock at him. As soon as Warren tackled Iah to restrain him from fighting him, Andrew ran away. Warren was just looking after his little brother." Principal Powers looked at Warren and Iah, asking,"Is that true?" Iah nodded,"Yes. I got in a fight. Put me in detention, not Wren."

Warren let Iah go, as Iah followed Principal Powers to the detention room. Warren looked at Ethan and replied,"Nice save, Popsicle. I'm impressed." Ethan replied,"I couldn't have you get ex spelled! Besides, Iah was acting all cocky and arrogant towards Andrew and it nearly destroyed the hallway!" Magenta replied,"It kinda scared me, and it's hard to scare me! Man, I've never seen Iah so angry and cocky before. He's usually mellow and laid back."

Warren replied,"That's what happens when Pyros get their powers. They usually want to start a fight with everyone. Dad's been helping him a little when controlling them." Magenta asked,"How's that going for him?" Warren shrugged,"Don't know. It's like every little thing that happens, he just blows up and has a temper tantrum." The bell rang, as they went to their sixth period classes.

* * *

Warren stayed after school to wait for Iah to get out of detention, so he could take him back home. He didn't need the bus anymore because over the weekend, Aaron rigged Warren's motorcycle to fly back and forth to school. Iah got out of there, as Andrew didn't look either one of them in the eye. Principal Powers found both boys in the hallway and said,"I called your parents. Iah, I hope you learned your lesson. You're a very sweet boy and I hate to see you acting this way." Iah replied,"Yes ma'am."

Warren looked at Iah and said,"Get your stuff and follow me outside." Iah grabbed his book bag and followed Warren outside. Warren unlocked his bike chain and straddled it, putting his helmet on. Iah put the second helmet on and held onto Warren, as they flew home.


	7. The Talk

Warren parked his motorcycle in the garage, as he and Iah got off of it. They took their helmets off and went inside their house. Carrie was still working and Aaron had to be called out to fight something with Rogue and Will's parents. There was a note on the fridge from Aaron;

_Listen, I have to go out. Iah, Carrie and I are going to have a serious talk with you when we come home._  
_I'll probably be back in a few hours, so do your homework. By the way, the Strongholds are coming by when we come home. We're having dinner with them tonight, so be on your best behavior.  
_

_-Aaron.  
_

"Crap! They both know now! I'm so dead!" Warren smacked the palm of his hand on Iah's forehead,"Duh! You nearly destroyed the hallway! You're so stupid!" Warren began to walk upstairs, as Iah replied,"How come it was okay for you to fight Will in the cafeteria, but it's not okay for me to stand up for myself and have my own fight?" Warren turned around and replied,"That was different! You have no idea what happened back then and how bad it made me feel! Granite's just a trouble making douche, who wants to spend his senior year messing with freshmen. Stronghold and I are aren't like that anymore, okay? I'm not watching you hurt yourself by doing something stupid."

Iah smirked,"You care about me?" Warren sighed deeply and replied,"Kinda." "I think it's more than just 'kinda'. You tackled me to the ground, so that I wouldn't hurt myself or anybody else." Warren rolled his eyes,"Whatever. I'm just going to spend my night off of work doing my homework and reading. I really don't care what you do at this point. Just don't bother me."

Warren went upstairs, as Iah did his in the living room. It was hard to concentrate because he kept thinking about that note and what Principal Powers said to him and what Warren did to stop him. People keep expecting Iah to be good all the time, but lately it's getting harder and harder to have good behavior. Dealing with hormones, life, death of both parents, being adopted, having new powers, and having this temperamental attitude with homework and more homework is very difficult.

He was finished with it sooner than he thought, and soon Carrie and Aaron were home. They both went to their room to change, not noticing Iah on the couch. He was relieved that they didn't yell at him as soon as they walked through that door. He turned on the t.v, as his stomach slowly started to uncoil itself from its knot.

Then, he heard an "Ahem", and turned around to see Carrie and Aaron in their normal everyday clothes. The knot in his stomach came back painfully, as he turned off the t.v. They both looked at him sternly, as Iah's heart dropped ten thousand feet below it's normal level. Aaron walked over to him and said,"You really disappointed us today. That was very immature of you to do that." Iah was relieved that Aaron didn't yell or scream. He knew that if he pulled something like this to his other parents, they would have been a lot more harsher with him.

Carrie looked at Iah and said,"We know that you were provoked and that the boy was older. Yet, you could have handled this in a mature way. Now, you've ruined people's lockers, which has their books and other things in it." Aaron replied,"Do you know how expensive it is to repair lockers, books, and replace everything?" Iah replied slowly,"A lot of money?" Carrie replied,"Yeah. A LOT of money. The good thing is, since the other boy caused more damage, Principal Powers is making him pay for the damages, instead of you. She told me that the boy you had a fight with has been suspended and everything and she's expelling him, too. You're very fortunate that Ethan was there to see everything."

"You nearly had Warren expelled from school! It was hard enough getting him in there in the first place." Iah felt like he was about to cry. He hated it when people were angry at him for something stupid he had done. Aaron sat down next to him and said,"Iah, look at me." Iah looked at him, as Aaron was a bit more forgiving,"I know you've been dealing with a lot lately. You have a new power, new emotions and you don't know what to do with them. It's overwhelming sometimes, and scary. That's why I train you and Warren both, so that you can be ready. That's why the school exists, so that you're prepared to save the world one day."

Iah nodded, as Aaron said,"You're a great kid, and I don't want you to go down the wrong path. I didn't even go down the wrong path, but with my attitude in high school and in public, forced people to believe that I was evil, when I wasn't. It took six years for me to get out, and even at times I'm still judged for who I am. I don't want that for my kids. I don't."

"But I'm not, Dad. I'm not going to be evil." It just hit the three of them. Iah had just called Aaron "dad". Iah looked at him and said,"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" Aaron chuckled and said,"No it's okay. You are. You're ours now." Carrie replied,"We love you. We love you and Warren both and we hate to see you two get hurt or get into trouble. Please, next time think about the consequences before doing something like this."

Iah asked,"What's my punishment?" Aaron replied,"You're grounded for a week. No hanging out with friends after school. When you and Warren come home, you do your homework, eat dinner, shower, and go to bed. Got it?" Iah nodded, as Aaron replied,"Good. Now, let's get dinner ready before our guests arrive."

* * *

About forty-five minutes later, the Strongholds arrived at the Peace's house. This was the first time in weeks that both families joined together, since the trial. Steve was no longer angered at Aaron over what had happened so many years ago. Carrie welcomed them into their house, as they eagerly went in and made themselves comfortable. Will went upstairs to Warren and Iah's room, feeling embarrassed that his dad brought the dreaded high school yearbook with him.

Loraine followed Will and Iah up to Warren's room, literally clinging to Iah. She asked him,"Iah, do you and Warren have any Barbies that I could play with?" Iah replied,"Rae, Warren and I don't play with Barbies. We're men, and men don't play with Barbies." Will joked and replied,"Yeah! We rock out to heavy metal music, grunt, and scratch our butts and watch football!" Loraine made a face of disgust, and said,"Men are nasty! Ew!" Iah replied,"And don't you forget it, either! Especially when you're on your first date and he asks if you want to go to his place. Not gonna happen!"

They entered his and Warren's room, as Warren was reading The Scarlet Letter. Warren had actually turned on his lamp, even though the window was open. His lamp let out an almost red-like light, while the outside let out a light dark starry blue color. It nearly illuminated the red and black room, if it weren't for the lamp and the other lamp over Demon's cage. Iah looked and Warren and said,"Bookworm, there's somebody here for you!" Warren marked his place and replied,"Good, 'cause, I'm getting nowhere with this book. Hey Stronghold." "Hey War! How's it going?" "Eh, it's okay I guess. Nothing much has happened."

Loraine went over to Warren and gave him a big hug,"Hi Warren!" Warren smiled at her and replied,"Hey Rae! How are ya?" He couldn't tell that Loraine's cheeks were blushing in the darkness. Loraine has had a huge crush on Warren, since the first time she saw him. Iah and Will already knew because they found a drawing that she did of her and Warren holding hands that said,"Me and Warren". What the boys didn't know is that she put it in her pocket before she left Will's house. She shrugged at Warren's answer, acting shy to get more of his attention.

Iah knew when she was acting shy, so he told her,"C'mon Rae, stop acting shy and tell him what you've been up to lately." Loraine smiled really big and said,"I'm helping Josie and Steve around the house for allowance because I'm saving up for a new Barbie doll!" Warren replied,"Really? What kind of Barbie doll is it?" "Um, it's actually more than one. It's a mommy and daddy Barbie with a little boy and a littler girl. Like, the little boy is a big brother to the even littler girl, and the mommy doll is pregnant with a baby and the baby comes with it wrapped in a yellow blanket!"

Warren looked at Will and Iah and asked,"They're teaching family life to kids now through Barbies? That's kinda sad." Will looked at him and said,"You'll be surprised at their selections. When I went with her through the toy aisle, there were a lot of types of them. They even have Barbie dolls of my parents!" Warren replied,"That's just creepy!" Will nodded, as Carrie called from downstairs,"Dinner's almost ready!" The kids walked out of Warren's room, as Warren carried Loraine. She played with his hair a little, even pulling at it. Warren didn't mind because Logan pulled his hair a lot, and he knew that the new baby would pull his hair even more.

The adults were in the living room, looking through the yearbook. As much as Will and Josie were annoyed by that thing, they knew how much Steve loved it and left him alone with it. They were downstairs, talking about how Aaron was one of the few people that chose to use his hero name over his real name in the yearbook.

Steve chuckled,"Most kids didn't even know which sidekick they were going to choose, let alone their own names!" Aaron shrugged and replied,"I had worked on that name, since ninth grade and I wanted to use it my senior year." Carrie replied,"Well, enough talking about the past, let's go into the dining room and eat!"


	8. An Unforgettable Night

**Warning:The ending of this is violent, and is very frightening. No deaths, just a painful action that happens to a favorite character of mine. Not an O/C, one of the actual movie characters.**

* * *

Everyone gathered around the Peace's dining room table to eat. Carrie even took some old thick phone books and magazines for Loraine to sit on, so that she could reach the table and eat, without sitting on her knees. She sat between Warren and Iah, wanting to go ahead and give Warren the picture she drew for him. Everyone held hands for prayer, and shortly after, everyone started eating.

Conversation had a rocky start to it. No one really knew what to say, except for Loraine, who kept talking about how a kid at  
school sneezed on her new blue jeans and how she yelled at him,"...and I told Mrs. Carter that I was sorry for yelling at him, but I still had my teddy bear moved." Iah asked,"Teddy bear? What teddy bear? The one that Mom gave you when you were three?" Josie replied,"There's a behavioral system in Rae's classroom, where her teacher has a chart that looks like the game Candy Land and there are these magnetic teddy bears with the children's names on them."

Warren asked,"How does that work out?" Josie continued, after sipping her iced tea,"Okay, this is how it goes; the teddy bears start out on a beach made out of candy or something and if a child does something wrong in their behavior, it's moved lower to what looks like a picture of a doghouse. That's basically a warning, and if the child keeps doing wrong, they have to move their teddy bear to a wintery background, basically saying that they're on thin ice and one more time, it's the office. If they keep up, they have to call their parents."

Will replied,"Back when I was five or six, we had a system where if we were good that day, we get a green dot. If we mess up, it was a yellow dot. Worse, red dot. If we misbehaved even more, it was a black dot and a phone call to Mom and Dad."  
Warren replied,"If we misbehaved back in kindergarten, we were hit." Everyone paused, as Aaron cleared his throat and replied,"Um, let's not discuss that right now, okay?"

Warren shrugged,"I don't see the big deal in it. I talk about it everyday with the therapist. He practically begs me to talk about it." Carrie replied,"It **is** a big deal! It's a a very big deal because no one hurts my children. No one." Loraine asked,"Who hit you?" Iah replied,"Nobody." Loraine tried to say politely,"Excuse me, Iah. Not to sound mean, but I was asking Warren that question, not you." Josie tried not to crack up, when she said,"Rae! Be polite to your brother!"

Loraine replied,"But I said excuse me!" Josie gave her a look and replied,"I know you meant not to sound rude, but it was a rude thing to say. Apologize to your brother." "Sorry, I wasn't trying to sound mean." Iah smiled at her and replied,"I know." Josie continued,"Besides, it's also not nice to ask people questions that they're not comfortable answering." Warren replied,"It's totally cool, I can answer her."

Carrie replied,"Please don't. Okay. Let's just change the subject." Will thought about a subject for a minute, and then  
smiled saying,"Okay I got one! Um, yesterday, Layla and I had to this project together in Mad Science. We had to build a freeze ray and use it for a target. Well, Layla and I kept getting the pieces backwards and and when we shot it, it burned the target to ash!"

Warren replied,"That's because you and Hippie didn't cross the wiring correctly and the microchip in it had to be placed on the right, not the left." Will asked,"Then, why didn't you help us?" Warren sighed with irritation,"Because I was paired up with some weird old fashioned dressed girl who's apparently afraid of me." Will replied,"Oh yeah, Esther Cunningworth. Yeah, like her family's like weirdly religious or something. They're very strict and controlling."

Carrie replied,"Almost reminds me of my parents when I was in high school." Will asked,"They were strict?" Carrie nodded,"And very religious. My mom and myself weren't allowed to use our powers at home or out in public. My dad ruled the house and he hated them." Will replied,"I'm sorry." Carrie chuckled,"Don't be. It was so long ago, and I'm an adult woman now, I have two sons and one child on the way, and I'm happily married. Besides, I swore to myself since day one that I would not become my mother and allow my husband and the power of the church control me."

Aaron replied,"Her parents also didn't want her to marry another person with powers. They wanted her to marry a powerless person, and move back to Alabama, where her parents were originally from." Will asked,"How did you go to Sky High if your parents didn't want you to use your powers." Carrie smirked,"Two words. Karen Powers." "Principal Powers? How did she-" "She knew because we went to a youth group gathering together in New Hampshire. She told me about the school, and helped me go. My parents had to move to Maxville anyway because some extended family members wanted us to move there."

Will replied,"So because of Principal Powers, you ended up going to Sky High and everything else?" She nodded and replied,"Without her, I wouldn't have met Aaron and gotten married and had his children with him, become a hero, or anything. Without Karen, I would've stayed in that dinky little small town with a sexist husband and two children who refuse to speak their minds and be themselves."

Josie replied,"I had no idea that Karen did that much to you, just by helping you attend Sky High!" Steve replied,"Karen's always been a big help. She was a senior when you two started freshman year and she always told people that one day she was going to run that school. Now, she does!" Steve replied, after taking a drink of his ice tea,"She almost helped me get the part in Oklahoma! Yet, **someone** took it!"

Aaron smirked,"Wanna know why I did it?" Steve looked at him, as Aaron replied,"Truth is, I hate that movie. I hate the play. I watched the movie and listened to the soundtrack over and over for revenge for dumping that pink crap all over Carrie at lunch." Steve nearly choked,"That's why?! That was your revenge on me?!" Aaron chuckled and nodded, as Steve replied,"I gotta say, you're pretty sneaky. Also, I didn't intentionally dump that stuff on her." Aaron replied,"I know that now. I mean, c'mon Steve, we were in high school. It means nothing now."

Josie replied,"Don't tell him that! He takes that stupid yearbook everywhere he goes and he always goes on and on about his years at Sky High. I hate his senior year book because it has that ugly freshman picture of me." Steve replied,"You were not ugly! You were cute, in a shy kinda way." She slapped his arm,"I was hideous! I had stringy hair, no breasts, no curves, no butt, my lips looked too weird for my face, I had that habit of sucking on my hair, I was disgusting!" Josie replied after taking a sip of her ice tea,"Thank god I grew out of it by eleventh grade!"

Loraine looked at Warren and blushed, taking a piece of paper from her pocket, folded neatly,"Um, Warren, I uh, made this for you." Warren took it out of Loraine's delicate little hands and unfolded it. He smiled and hugged her saying,"Thank you. I love it." Carrie asked,"May I see?" Warren gave it to her, as she passed it around, letting all the adults look at it, as they commented how cute it was. Warren blushed, slightly embarrassed, but he wasn't angry at her. She was five and made something completely sweet for him. She wasn't like most five year olds, who would run away in fear from him.

* * *

Carrie removed her earrings, and washed her makeup off. She changed into pajamas, as Aaron changed into a clean pair of black boxers. They both climbed into bed, as Aaron kissed her neck passionately and said,"I had a nice time tonight." She smiled, turning to him and said,"It felt great. I don't have that knot in my stomach anymore. I don't feel sick. I feel like I can float now." Aaron replied,"It was real, comfortable, and easy. I feel all of the weight is taken off of me."

Carrie cuddled next to him and said,"I was so worried that tonight was going to be a disaster, yet my empathic abilities told me that everything was going be just fine." Aaron replied,"You need to trust yourself more often." Carrie nodded,"I know. I've worried, since you were taken from me. No, I take that back. I started to worry, since before we were married. I worried over everything. Every small detail of my life, that knot in my stomach grew and grew, until I felt sick, nearly everyday."

Aaron kissed her lips, and pulled away, saying,"The only thing you should worry about is the baby. If you put stress on it, the stress could hurt it." Carrie looked at the beautiful dark crimson flavored room and sighed,"You're right. I should just relax about everything. God knows what He's doing, and I should put my faith in Him that everything's going to be okay. As long as we pray and believe, it won't be as bad."

They both kissed each other goodnight, turned off the light, and embraced each other.

* * *

_ She went into Maxville Forest for a project for school. She didn't tell her parents that she would be gone, she just left. She had to get some "earthy" objects for her horticulture sidekick class and wasn't allowed to ask Layla because she had to get the materials herself. Her skinny, black combat boots with little chains on them made noises, as the dead leafs and sticks crunched underneath her.  
_

_ She took her flashlight and wore her Paramore hoodie, as the temperature was starting to drop more at night because it was the first day of autumn. She groaned, and mentally cursed at herself, at why she didn't do this earlier and why she had to sneak out of the house in order to do a project for school. Most kids snuck out to do non-school related things, and that made her feel like both a delinquent and a nerd at the same time.  
_

_ She felt that way because she snuck out (delinquent side), yet she did it for a school project (nerd side). She hated being alone at night, HATED IT! She felt like she was in some sort of horror movie. The leaves and sticks crunching beneath her boots, the chains clinking from the boots, the owls, crickets, and soft night breeze, were the only thing protecting the teen girl from the deafening, piercing silence.  
_

_That horrid phrase. That horrid sound.  
_

_Silence.  
_

_Utter, nonexistent, silence.  
_

_She pulled her hoodie over her head, as her ears and nose started to hurt from the cold. Her fingertips felt slightly numb, as the coolness swept over her. She questioned Maxville's weather all the time because it was located in California, a naturally warmer state. Yet, her parents always told her that even in the most hottest places, there were cold places. Henceforth, proving that Maxville was in the colder, more moderate temperate parts of California.  
_

_ It was one of the few places that actually snowed during the wintertime. She was excited for winter. She loved the cold weather, the sparkling white snow, covering the frozen green and brown earth. How creepy the bare trees looked during fall, yet in the winter, they dripped of snow and ice, making them look like brown and white frozen sculptures, that shadowed the white ground. Yet, she liked fall as well. Halloween was one of her favorite holidays.  
_

_Well, it was when she was younger. She can't trick or treat anymore, and the last time she went when she was twelve was a total bust because that's when they had to do the stupid curfew law for trick or treaters, so she couldn't stay out, until 11:30 at night, getting bags and buckets of sugar coated bliss.  
_

_She froze. The thoughts of her memories stopped like a record, as she looked around. She could've sworn that she heard something.  
_

_Something that stirred that wasn't supposed to stir.  
_

_Something that whispered that wasn't supposed to whisper.  
_

_Something that made a noise that wasn't supposed to make a noise.  
_

_The air changed from just a normal night, to something frightening. It was like the time when she watched the Blair Witch Project when she was younger against her parents' wishes. She to her cousin's house and watched it on his VHS player and it scarred her for life.  
_

_ This time it was different. This time it was real, and she wasn't watching it through the t.v, though she wished she was. That F for this project started to look better and better by the minute. She could hear slight whispers, but then nothing. No animals, bugs, leaves, or sticks made any noise.  
_

_Nothing stirred, not even the breeze came over her.  
_

_It was the frightening silence, and then a ripping and piercing roar.  
_

_She found herself on the ground, as her upper lip and lower nose level felt cold and wet. She touched her tongue to it and tasted it. Blood. Her heart started to race, as she felt another blow to the face. It right near the eye. She saw white for a few seconds, but then saw the darkness of the forest. She clutched her flashlight, as she was dragged by an invisible force, as it slammed her against a tree.  
_

_ She felt blood dripping, as it felt warm next to her cold face. She screamed, as something clawed and latched on to her her side and wouldn't let go. It finally let go of her after a few minutes. She groaned and couched in pain, as she threw up bile and blood. She started to cry, as she was paralyzed, leaving her questioned.  
_

_What was it that attacked her and why did it attack her?  
_


	9. Calling For Help

The sun shined in her eyes, as the pain started to come back to her. She turned her sore neck to her damaged left side to see if it had stopped bleeding. Her sleeve had been there all night, acting as a tourniquet almost or gauze, soaking up the blood. She grabbed the tree trunk behind her to pull herself up. Her flashlight was still on, as the light part had a blood splatter on it.

She limped, trying to find her way back to the suburbs. The closest person that she knew that lived near Maxville forest was Warren and Iah, and they lived about a mile away from it. Magenta looked at her skin, and could tell she lost some color, indicating that she lost quite a bit of blood.

She could barely see from her eyes, as she slowly took out her cellphone from her pocket. _Call Mom? Hmm, it's 7:30, so she and Dad are probably at work by now. Crap, I should've put their work numbers on my phone! I'll call Warren since he's closer._

She called his house, since Warren didn't have a cellphone. Aaron answered it.

"Hey, um is Warren there?...Could you put him on the phone for me please?"

Her voice sounded sad and weak, and every time she spoke, she felt like tears were going pour out from her sore, tired eyes.

"Yeah, I'm okay, I just need for Warren to do a favor for me...Okay thanks." She waited a few minutes, until Warren was on the line.

"Hey Warren...Yeah, I'm fine...Listen, could you ride your Harley to Maxville Forest and pick me up?...Please, Warren?...I spent the night here...Yes Warren, I'm completely stupid, now please get me out of here!...Thank you...bye." She hung up, as the only thing she wanted to do was cry.

* * *

Iah asked,"Who was that?" Warren replied,"Maj." "What she doing calling at 7:30?" Warren replied,"Don't know, but she didn't sound right. I'm going to go pick her up. You're riding the bus to school today, so that I can take Guinea Pig on my Harley."

Warren went out to his Harley, and rode up to Maxville Forest to get Magenta.

As soon as she heard the Harley humming, she started calling out for Warren, so that he could follow her voice. He stopped and parked his bike, as he followed the sound of Magenta's voice. "Maj! Where the hell are you?" She cried out,"Over here! I'm in a dark purple Paramore hoodie!" Warren found her and said,"Guinea Pig, why the hell were you out here-oh my god."

Warren froze at Magenta's image. He muttered,"Shit." Something within Magenta made her break down. She fell to the ground on her knees, bawling her eyes out, having a panic attack. She felt numb all over, as many different emotions attacked her. Warren knelt down and whispered,"Shh, Maj, it's going to be okay. Just come with me, and my dad and I can take you to the hospital."

Magenta screeched,"I'm so stupid! So stupid!" Warren replied,"Hey, look at me. You're not stupid. I was kidding over the phone. I didn't realize you were in pain, until now. My god, Magenta. Who the hell attacked you?" Magenta looked at him and said,"Nobody was there." "What?" Magenta replied,"I don't know how to explain it! Nothing was there! It was an invisible force that beat me up! It was like a person, but a wild animal at the same time. Please, Warren. All I want is to go to the hospital."

"Just follow me, and I'll take you. We gotta stop at my house first and get my dad, so he can fly us there." He helped Magenta walk to his motorcycle, as he gave her his helmet. He told her,"Hold onto to me, so you won't fall off." Magenta wrapped her arms around Warren's waist, as they headed back to his house."

They rode back, as he helped her take off her helmet and get off of the bike. Warren hissed as he looked at her side,"Damn,  
it looks like a wolf attacked your left side." She muttered,"That thing wouldn't let go for like five minutes. It latched on," she started to sob,"and it hurt! It hurt so bad!" She wrapped her arms around him and said,"I'm sorry that I'm hugging you."

Warren replied,"Well, I'm not made of stone, Maj. Don't apologize to me." Aaron walked outside and said,"Hey Wren, I came out here to check on you. Is everything okay?" With his back turned to his father, Warren shook his head,"Dad, Maj...Maj was attacked last night." Aaron could only see her purple sleeves, but one of them looked bloody. Aaron replied,"Let me see." Warren let go of Magenta, as he turned around.

Aaron replied in shock,"Good god! What happened to you?" Warren replied,"She told me something invisible had attacked her." Aaron replied,"Warren, put Magenta in the back of the car and stay with her. I'm getting the keys and your brother, and we're going to hospital." Warren took Magenta to the flying car. It sleek and black, and it looked like something from a Men in Black movie.

He helped into the car, and told her,"Hey, everything's going to be fine. Maybe a wolf attacked you, and you were shocked, so you didn't see anything-" "No!" She interrupted him and replied,"Warren, it wasn't a wolf and it wasn't a person. I'll tell you exactly what happened last night." She breathed in and out, trying not to cry again and started,"It started out with me being stupid. For sidekick horticulture class, I had to get an earth-like object and bring it to class, and the only way we could get it, is to go to the forest."

"I took a nap because I went to bed late the other night because of a movie. I spent too much time sleeping and didn't wake up until like eight at night. Dinner was ready, so I couldn't get out yet, and I'm not allowed out of the house on a school night, unless I'm invited to go somewhere. So, I waited for them to go to sleep and snuck out of the house around midnight."

"I took a flashlight and wore my hoodie because it's now fall and it's getting colder. I was walking in the forest, trying to look for something, until I heard something." Warren asked,"What was it?" Magenta shrugged,"I can't explain it. It was a whisper, yet almost howling. And then, something hit me, like a punch. It felt like a cold fist had just hit the side of my face."

"I nearly went blind. Hell, it's hard to see right now, everything looks blobbish and grayish far away. Then, something dragged me and slammed my head against a tree as hard as it could. I blacked out, yet woke up after I felt a claw digging and ripping into my side. Then, I woke up the next day. I'm surprised that I didn't bleed to death."

Warren replied,"God, Maj. I don't know what to say. You look like you've been attacked by a wolf or a coyote or something." "Yet, look at my face. It looks like I've been punched, yet my body looks like it's been attacked by a wild animal." Warren asked,"Why did you call me? Why didn't you call Layla or your parents?" Magenta replied,"You're closer to the forest. Besides, my parents are at work right now, and they'd kill me if they found out that I went out at night."

Warren sighed,"Hate to break this to you, but eventually they're going to figure out what happened. They're not going to pissed off because you were almost beaten to death." Magenta shrugged, as Aaron and Iah got into the car. Iah turned around from the passenger seat and asked,"Magenta are you okay?" Magenta shook her head, as Iah left her alone.


	10. Telling Them

Magenta laid in the hospital bed, as her parents ran in there, frantically. Her mom, Lydia, nearly roared at Aaron and said,"What happened to our baby?!" Aaron replied,"Lydia, please calm down-" "Calm down? Calm down?! MY BABY'S BEEN BEATEN AND MISSING AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS CALM DOWN?!" Magenta's dad, Michael, replied,"Lee, please. Don't take this out on him. He didn't do anything. Actually, Aaron, we should thank you for contacting us. We thought she was in bed or at school."

Aaron shook his head,"No, Warren found her. She called him to come get her." Lydia turned to Magenta and replied,"Baby, why didn't you call us?" Magenta replied,"I don't have your number for your office. Besides, Warren and Iah are closer to the forest." Lydia replied,"You were two miles away. You could've been kidnapped, stolen, raped, killed, anything!" Michael asked,"Who beat you?"

Magenta replied,"Didn't see who it was." Warren replied,"Whoever it was, it wasn't human." Lydia and Michael turned to him, as Michael asked,"What do you mean?" Warren replied,"Look at her side. It looks like a wolf attacked her. Yet, look at her face. It looks more like a human punched her." Lydia replied,"My god, it does. Who or what would do such a thing?" Lydia's eyes teared up even more,"My poor baby girl." She petted her hair and kissed her forehead. She turned to Aaron and apologized for overreacting. Aaron looked at Warren and Iah and said,"C'mon, let's go."

* * *

Aaron dropped the boys off, as they went in and signed in late. They walked to third period, wishing that they had stayed at the hospital with Magenta. Iah asked Warren, as they were walking down the hallway,"So, what do you think attacked her?" Warren down at him and replied,"I have no clue. I'm not an expert on supernatural creatures. Ask Mom. She knows everything about them." "What about Dad?" Warren replied,"See, that's the thing that Dad could never truly grasp. Now, Mom would sneak behind Grandma's back and go to the library and stay for hours, just reading about supernatural creatures."

"I thought Mom didn't believe in it because of her parents." "It was because of her powers. Iah, her parents were so strict with stuff like that, even though Grandma has powers and everything, Grandpa didn't like it. He forbid them to use any kind of powers in the house. They didn't even want her marrying Dad because he has powers." Iah replied,"I would like to know what attacked her." "Maj told me that it was invisible, very strong, and it clawed her side out. I immediately crossed werewolf off."

Iah stopped walking, as Warren walked ahead. He looked back and asked Iah,"Aren't you coming?" Iah looked at him and asked,"Warren, what if it's not a supernatural creature? What if it's..." He trailed off, as Warren replied irritably,"Tell me!" Iah replied with fear in eyes,"What if it's Tina?"

Warren's jaw squared, as he looked away from his half brother. Iah replied,"Isn't it obvious? She was pissed because she lost the trail and never took me away. She told us that she was coming back, plus that encounter Rogue had with her after the trial." Warren replied,"If that bitch comes back, I swear-" "Wren, if she's attacking our friends like that, then something's definitely wrong here. Magenta didn't do anything to her. Hell, she wasn't even at the trial with us." Warren was still silent, as Iah still spoke,"Warren, if she's coming after us, then we better keep our eyes open and watch each others backs."

Warren finally spoke,"The whole thing just surprised me. Guinea Pig doesn't do anything wrong. Yeah, she has a big mouth on her, but it's not enough to get her nearly killed." Iah replied,"With Tina, it doesn't matter with her. You won't believe the things that I saw her do, even before you and Rogue went to that school. I had visions of Tina torturing children at age four, before I even understood what she was doing. I tried telling Mom and Dad, but...they just said they were bad dreams."

Warren replied,"Let's just go to third. Lunch is next, we'll tell them what happened and why she's not here." Iah followed Warren to third. Warren wasn't in the mood to talk about Tina, especially after what all has happened. This woman had physically and emotionally beat him, took his dad away, and tried to end his and Rogue's lives. A cold chill crept up his spine, and that rarely ever happens because of his intense heat.

He hated that cold feeling because he had never really felt "cold" ever, until he would think of Tina and the evil she's done. The thought would wake him up in the middle of the night, heart racing and body sweating. Warren has never felt such hate towards one person, even when he hated Will and his dad, he hated Tina more than anything else in the world and still does.

* * *

"Rogue, please tell me what you're drawing!" Will cried, as Rogue replied, smirking,"Nuh uh uh! Besides, I'm not exactly drawing. I'm making a comic." Zach begged,"Please, I wanna read it! I love comics!" Rogue shook her head,"Not yet. Later, okay?" Layla replied,"Guys, leave her alone and let her make her comic. She'll show you when she's done." Rogue replied,"See? Layla gets it, unlike you two boneheads."

Ethan glanced at it and asked,"Anime?" Rogue nodded,"Yep. It's probably crap, since I haven't drawn Anime, since I was like thirteen." Warren and Iah sat down, as Will replied,"Hey, you guys are a tad late today." Layla asked worriedly,"Is everything okay at home." Warren sighed,"Everything's fine, Hippie. Well...almost everything." Rogue replied,"Please tell me that the baby's okay!"

Warren replied,"It is. It has nothing to do with the baby, or Mom, or Dad, or anything. It has to do with Guinea Pig." Layla asked,"So, you guys know why she's absent and everything." Iah nodded,"Yeah, she, um, she called Warren this morning to pick her up." Ethan asked,"From where?" Warren replied,"The forest."

Zach replied with fear,"Maxville Forest?! Dude, I heard that the teenage citizens there deal drugs and do other bad stuff there!" Warren replied,"No one was there last night, except for her. Magenta screwed up her day by taking a nap, and she was supposed to do a project for Horticulture class. She waited, until midnight to leave the house and go into the forest and look for something."

Layla said,"I knocked on her door yesterday and asked if she could go with me, but her parents said that she was napping and didn't want to be disturbed." Warren replied,"Last night, she left and while she was there...something happened." Zach panicked,"What happened? Please tell me." "I'm getting to it, just listen! She was hit in the face, but nothing was there, and then she was...dragged to a tree and something banged her head against it. Then, while lying on the ground, something dug into her side and clawed her."

Everyone at the table was silent. Slowly, and quietly, Rogue asked,"Is...is Magenta...is she okay?" Warren nodded,"Found her this morning after she called me. She looked awful. She rode with me back to my place, and my dad drove her in his car to Sky Hospital. We left a few minutes after her parents came."

Layla said,"We need to visit her after school." Will replied,"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I want to see her." Iah replied,"She'll be all cleaned up by the time you'll get there. She'll still look awful, but better than she did when I saw her in the flying car this morning." Zach got up and walked out of the cafeteria. He felt so sick to his stomach, from the thought of Magenta in that condition.

Zach went into the boy's room and stayed there for the rest of the period.


	11. Gifts and Plans

**I apologize if the last chapter was a bit short. I really want to write a few more chapters about Magenta and then a little about her recovery. No, this story won't be all about Magenta or all about any other character. Every character will get their own part and everything. I like to play fair with these characters, and I don't want to give my O/C's 100% spotlight. No, I don't do that or like to do that because it's not all about them. Yes, they're very important, especially to me, since I made them up, but the characters are important too. Sorry about my ranting, now on with a longer chapter story!**

* * *

Magenta wasn't allowed to sleep, until her test results came back. She felt her eyes get heavier, as it was now even harder to see than ever before. Lydia asked,"Wanna talk?" Magenta replied,"I have nothing to say, except that I think I'm going blind." Lydia looked at her and said,"Honey, it's where you were hit. Don't worry, the best doctors are here with us. You will be good as new in a couple of weeks. I promise."

Magenta replied,"I don't trust you with promises." Lydia cocked an eyebrow,"Oh? Why not?" Magenta replied in a bit of a harsh way,"You've been breaking promises all your life. Getting the bunny at the petting zoo when I was five, going to Disney when I was nine, all those times that we were supposed to go to carnivals or movie premieres, and recently, going to England. I love you, Mom. I love you very much, but I can't listen to you when you promise me something that you can't keep."

Lydia sighed,"Baby, it's mostly work and life in general. I try, I really do try. You're father and I both do. Yet, whenever we plan something, other things either get in the way, or something goes wrong and we just can't go. I'm sorry. I had no idea that you felt this way."

Magenta replied,"I'm sorry if that sounded mean, but I just can't take anymore disappointment. Just...no more. All I wanna do now is take a bunch of pain meds and sleep everything off." Lydia petted her hair,"I know, baby. I know." Magenta was anxious about herself and what was wrong with her. She mentally prayed that she didn't have a concussion or blindness. She also wanted to know what that creature was that harmed her so badly.

* * *

After signing in, the kids stopped at the gift shop. Whatever money they had in their pocket, they spent it on something for Magenta. Layla bought her a teddy bear, Ethan bought her a purple octopus necklace, Iah got her a stuffed dolphin, Warren got her a card that he wrote his own message on it, Will bought her gum, Rogue got her a stuffed white Persian cat doll, and Zach bought her a box of chocolates and a rose.

They went to her room to visit her, as both of her parents and Carrie were in there with her. Layla knocked on the door, as Carrie and Magenta's parents greeted them. Magenta couldn't really see them, yet could distinctively tell their clothing. They tried hiding their shock when they first saw Magenta in a hospital gown, with a beaten up left eye and machines hooked up to her.

Will was the first one to say hi,"Hey Magenta. How are you feeling?" Magenta replied,"Exhausted." Zach asked,"Why can't you sleep?" Magenta replied,"Until my tests come back, I can't. They're afraid I might have a concussion and could go into a coma." Rogue replied,"We bought gifts for you at the gift shop." Magenta smiled,"Thanks. I wish I could see them, but all I can see are colorful blobs." Iah replied,"We'll tell you what they are."

"Coolness." Ethan replied,"I'll go first!" He walked over to her bed and said to her,"I bought a purple octopus necklace, since you like purple and did that octopus research paper in Medulla's class last week." Magenta smiled and replied,"Thanks! You guys are awesome!"

One by one, they all gave Magenta the gifts they bought for her, as she started to feel a little better. After they left, she was allowed to go to sleep, as her parents spent the night in the hospital.

* * *

After Will got home, Josie looked at him and said,"Will, please sit down on the couch for a moment." Will was a little worried, as both of his parents sat on the couch in front of the couch in front of the one he was sitting on, as Steve started,"Will, we both know the events that's happened lately. We know that these past two months have been pretty hard on you." Josie listed the things that had happened,"Started school, getting your powers, defeating Royal Pain, being in your first romantic relationship, having all of these friends, saving Aaron from prison, the trial, having that awful fight with your dad and spending the nights at Warren's house, and Magenta in the hospital. It's all hard right now."

Will gulped and asked,"Is it all starting to get better? Will all of this drama blow over soon?" Steve sighed,"I'm afraid not, son. It's now going to get even more grueling, on not just you, but the other kids and their parents as well." Josie said,"Will, honey, your father and I received an email the other day, about a mission. The other parents received it, too. We called them to be sure. The parents and the kids all have to go on this trip. Even Loraine and Logan, and they don't even have powers."

Will replied,"What about Carrie? She's in a crucial state right now because she's pregnant. And Magenta's in the hospital! Iah has therapy and school, Warren works, and...everything else." Steve replied,"Son, we know. This won't happen, until mid to late October." Will's eyes widened,"But Dad, we were planning to have a Halloween party at Warren and Iah's house!"

Josie looked at him sternly,"Did you clear this up and ask their parents first?" Will replied nervously,"No, not yet, but...we were going to soon." Steve looked at Josie replied,"This is too much for him." Josie replied,"I know, but he has to know this." Will asked,"What kind of mission is this?" Josie replied,"We're not sure yet, but we're going to get an R.V, so we'll be undercover, and then, we're going to a country side near Scotland, where we'll have to ditch the R.V and then travel to the Tropical Islands."

"But that's so much traveling and so many people! Me, you two, Loraine, Warren, Iah, their parents, Rogue, Logan, their parents, Layla, her mom, Magenta, her mom, Zach, his dad, and Ethan, and his mom! That's too many people! That's," Will counted on his fingers,"like twenty people!" Josie nodded and replied,"We know, honey, we know. We're sorry that you and your friends have to go, but this is a good thing. You can use your powers and practice becoming heroes before college age. This is ten times more than Homecoming night will ever be. Ten times more."

Will replied,"Are you and Dad going to train me?" Steve replied,"A little, but, mostly Boomer will. He knows about the mission. We called him three days ago. You kids will train before and after school, so you guys have to be there by 6:30 or 6:45am, and then train after school about 4:00, 4:30. Just an hour before and after school." Will started to freak out,"That early?! Then, what time am I supposed to go to bed?" Josie replied,"Seven or eight is a good time. When I went out to the store today, I picked up some sleeping medication for you. This can help you sleep."

Will asked,"Is Ron okay with picking us up before the sun starts to come up?" Josie replied,"More than happy. He's a real morning person." Will thought in his head,_Great, now I'm going to have to deal with Warren early in the morning. He's so grumpy early in the morning!_ Josie looked at him and said,"Now, let's have dinner and then, I want you to shower, brush your teeth, and go to bed." She asked,"Is your homework finished?" Will nodded, as they went to the dinner table to eat.

* * *

Will laid down on his bed, wishing that the mission didn't have to be so soon and that his life didn't seem like it was on autopilot. His head was a tad dizzy and swimming with thoughts and concerns. He closed his eyes, as the medicine started to kick in, and before he knew it, he was asleep.


	12. Odd Dreams

**Okay, this is a dream chapter. I wanted to let you know this because of chapter five. Remember when Will told Rogue about those secret dreams that he had been having? Well, this is going to be a half a chapter about that and the other half will be about the kids going to training so early in the morning. I hope you guys will enjoy this and see how my plot for this story is slowly turning around! :D!**

* * *

(_Italics_ mean Will's "dream state"/thoughts. By the way, this entire dream scene is in 1st person, a.k.a, Will's point of view.)

_I slowly opened my eyes, seeing my dream. For an odd reason, the sky is always a bright sunrise orange in my dreams. The grass is much greener and longer, the flowers are always purple or blue, the trees look like something Tim Burton and Dr. Seuss concocted up together, and I always see little fairies. _

_My dreams always make me feel like a little girl is dreaming them, not a teenage boy. Yet, this could be from my brief Peter Pan obsession that Layla, Rogue, and Zach all shared together back when we were kids. Anyway, I see Layla and Gwen (or Sue, but to me, she'll always be Gwen), sword fighting with wooden swords, as if they're in a Shakespeare production. Layla is in a long, Renaissance-looking green dress, while Gwen is in the pink outfit when I first met her. It was a battle of pink and green, and neither one was winning. They hear me, as I get up from lying in the grass. They turn to me, both eyes look shallow and mean, which is odd for Layla because her eyes always look concerned and innocent in reality. Yet, this isn't reality. Just pure fantasy.  
_

_They slowly walk to me, extending their swords in front of me. Both of their eyes are now black, just like the demons in Supernatural. They both said in a creepy unison kind of way,"Peace will not come to you, William. He will not. We will destroy you before he does come to you." All of a sudden, a giant dragon came up from behind them, blowing fire at the girls. They ran and screamed in terror. _

_I closed my eyes and ducked my head, but then opened them. The dragon was gone, but in replace of that dragon, there was Warren. He had no shirt, tight leather pants, and no shoes. His flame tattoos glowed, kinda like his tan skin. He walked to me, and looked at me with his hypnotizing brown eyes, which for some reason made my heart race. My heart raced out of not fear but...affection. A dark, secretive affection, that only Warren and I shared.  
_

_He caressed my face with his left hand and huskily said,"Stronghold." I felt like melting,"H-hi." He smirked, and then looked at me with a more protective emotion, when he said,"They won't harm you. I'm always here." Then, a big giant snake, which resembled Demon, slithered to where Warren and I were at. I felt scared, as Warren lead me to the snake. He said,"Don't be afraid, Stronghold. He's here to take us to fight the Widow." I asked him,"Who's the Widow?" "A huge black widow spider, who eats the souls of the innocent. I must get the sword to destroy her, and save our land."  
_

_"Okay." My voice squeaked, as Warren got on the snake first, and I climbed up behind him. He told me,"Hold onto me." I held onto him, feeling his muscular abs and smooth back. The snake moved faster than I had expected it to move, as it slithered more into a deep dark forest.  
_

_It was now night in my dream. Warren used his powers to make torch with one of his hands. He turned, looking at me and said,"Don't be afraid of the darkness." He leaned over to me, so closely, so closely...until...until..._

* * *

Steve went upstairs and lightly (well, it wasn't too light because of his super strength) shook Will and said,"C'mon Will! Tine to get up!" He groaned groggily and asked,"What time is it, Dad?" Steve replied,"5:30. C'mon! Get moving, now!" Will got up, used, the bathroom, showered, and got dressed. As he went down the stairs to the kitchen, Will started to think about his dream. _Why did I seem so "in love" with Warren? Why was I so excited and anticipated for him to kiss me? It seemed so real..._ He went downstairs and as chocolate chip pancakes (Will's favorite) were put on his plate in courtesy of Josie, he poured syrup and said in his mind,_Good think last night's dream wasn't explicit and weird like the one I had the other night!_

He looked out the window and noticed how dark it was outside. A knock was heard at the kitchen door, as Josie answered it. Will thought it was Layla, but was completely wrong. Will nearly choked on his glass of milk, as he heard his mom say,"Good morning Warren! And hello Iah!" Warren greeted in his husky voice that gave Will chills in his dream last night,"'Morning Mrs. Stronghold. Listen, um, could we eat breakfast here today? Mom left for the hospital because Millie's having her baby today and Dad got an emergency call from a worried mother. Her daughter was kidnapped at midnight last night."

Josie replied,"Sure, Warren! You both can eat here this morning before training. We're having chocolate chip pancakes!" "Cool!" Iah said excitedly, as he sat down at the table with Will,"Hey Will!" Warren grabbed Iah's shoulder, before Iah started digging in and said,"You better thank Josie before we leave." Iah looked at her and said,"Thank you, Josie!" She smiled and replied,"You're always welcome Iah! You and Warren both are!"

Steve came back from upstairs, carrying a recently woken up Loraine, as he said,"Look who's up!" Loraine jumped down from Steve's arms and ran to Iah hugging him,"Iah! I missed you!" She sat in his lap, as he kissed her cheek,"I missed you too, Rae." Loraine blushed when she saw Warren and said,"Hey Warren." He replied,"Hey kiddo!" He tousled her hair, as she combed it down with her little hands and said,"Hey! I worked hard to get this bed head!"

Iah replied,"You're too cute for your own good." Loraine gave him the attitude hand and said,"I'm not cute, I'm OH-Dor-A-Ble!" Will chuckled, as Iah asked,"Did Rogue teach ya that?" "Rogue AND Magenta." Iah sighed,"Why am I not surprised?"

* * *

They all met at the bus stop, as Zach started talking about the phone call Magenta gave him last night,"She loves the rose and chocolates that I bought for her. She wishes she can go ahead and eat the chocolates, but where that butt munch punched her, she can't. Boy, would I wrap my hands around whoever hit her and strangle the life out of him!" "Or her!" Layla corrected. Zach shrugged,"I think it's a dude. I mean, statically guys are much stronger than girls." Layla's face became redder than her hair, as Ethan defended the female gender and replied,"Actually Zach, even thought years ago, scientists did believe in that belief, it was mostly based off of sexist old fashioned values. In today's modern world, most countries appreciate the strong female women, such as Joan of Arc, Rosie the Riveter, and many others, but in my opinion some women are stronger than others, and some men are weaker than others. Without super strength, Will could be easily pinned down by Layla."

Layla smiled at Ethan and said,"See? Ethan's a boy and he gets it. Unlike you!" Zach replied,"Well, Maj is stronger, but I was talking about people who beat up other people. You see more guys beating up people than women. I was meaning emotionally." Ethan corrected him once again,"Again Zach, your basing this all off of old fashioned values, rather than the differences that everyone carries. You fail to see the real human side of things, rather than stereotypes." Layla looked at Rogue and said,"Hey, you're being awfully quiet." She noticed Rogue's head was down, as she poked her. She giggled and said to Zach and Ethan,"Guys, I think she's asleep!" Ethan poked her and said,"Should we wake her up?" Layla shrugged,"Maybe Warren should, since he knows her better than anyone here."

Warren, Will, and Iah walked to the bus stop, and Will said,"Sorry we're late. We had seconds on Mom's chocolate chip pancakes." Layla looked at them and said,"Look at Rogue, she's asleep!" Warren replied,"I can wake her." He bent down towards her level and whispered,"This wakes her up every time. Watch." Warren cleared his throat and softly sang,"Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel. Come to the roadhouse, gonna have a real, good time!" Rogue woke up and said,"Jim Morrison?!" Warren chuckled and replied,"Nope, just me." Rogue yawned and replied,"Oh. Thanks for waking me. I was starting to have this weird dream."

Iah asked,"What was it about?" "It was when I was watching the Scooby Doo live action film before bed. I had a dream that I was Sarah Michelle Geller as Daphene, and I was on a date with Freddie Prinz Jr. as Fred, but then he slowly started to turn into Scooby. It was weird." Will replied,"That is weird!" The bus came, as Ron said,"Morning trainees! Hope you're all excited!" The kids groaned, as they hoped into the bus.


	13. Chocolate

**Sorry if this chapter's a bit short and cheesy. I'm suffering from a rather mild case of writer's block, even though I have my mental Sky High muse back into my conscious (and subconscious. I keep dreaming about this! Not that I'm complaining! ;)) and is helping me work my wee fingers off. I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter. **

**By the way, extra points (not that I'm giving you points *dumps points into trash can without you looking*) if you can guess the song on chapter 12 that Warren sings to Rogue to wake her up! :D!  
**

* * *

The kids nearly fell asleep on the bus. After the bus landed on the grounds, the kids slowly got out of the bus, as Couch Boomer was awaiting for them outside. The sky looked dark blue, but the sun would come out soon enough. Couch Boomer raised his eyebrow and asked,"Get enough sleep last night?" The kids replied,"Eh." He looked at them and replied,"You better have! Cause, even though this is your first day of training, I'm gonna work you like a drill Sargent. Are we clear?" The kids mumbled, as he said loudly with his power, nearly blowing the kids away,"I said, ARE-WE-CLEEEEAAAARR?!" The kids replied,"Yes Coach Boomer!" "Now, follow me into the gymnasium."

They followed Boomer into the gym, as he said,"Now, boys, girls, split up and go to your locker rooms. Change into your gym uniforms and meet back in here. No whining. Got it? Now split!" Both genders walked to their locker rooms, as they tried staying awake.

* * *

As they were changing, Will kept having quick glances at Warren. Then, as he was tying his shoes, he started staring at Warren for the longest time. Warren pulled the uniform tank over his head, as his forearms and biceps were still exposed. Will muttered to himself,"Just like in my dream." He shook his head and closed his eyes,_Layla. Think of Layla. Oh for Pete's sakes, think of Magenta or Rogue! Think of anybody! Anybody except Warren! He's my best friend, not a...crush! _They walked into the gym, as Warren wrapped his arm around Will.

Will shivered against his touch, as Warren asked,"You cold, Stronghold?" Will looked at him and said,"No, no, I'm fine! I-I'm f-fine!" Warren furrowed his eyebrows and replied,"Sure?" Will nodded, as Warren replied,"Okay." Again, Will's heart started to race, as he lied to himself mentally, _It's just the chocolate. Yes, chocolate. That's what's making my heart race! That's it! Chocolate!_ He started thinking about chocolate, as Coach Boomer had the kids run and leap tires and little fences.

_Chocolate bars, chocolate fudge, chocolate, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Hershey Bars, Milky Way, Snickers, Babe Ruth bars, Pay Day, Count Chocula cereal, the color of Warren's eyes. Oh crap!_ Will tripped flat on his face over a tire. He dented the gym floor a little, as Coach blew his whistle,"C'mon Stronghold! On your feet!" Will's lip was bleeding a little, and it stung. He had bitten it, as he fell to the floor. Warren ran to him, as the Coach smirked,"What's the matter, Stronghold? Got your dad's strength and his clumsy moves? Tsk, tsk, tsk, bad combo there, Stronghold."

Warren extended his hand and said,"C'mon Stronghold. Lemme help you up." Will took it, as he thought, _Warren's so much gentler saying my name, than Boomer. Boomer's so harsh, while the way Warren says it is smooth and inviting. _Will got up, as Layla said,"Oh no! Coach Boomer, Will's lip is bleeding!" Coach shrugged and said,"He'll live. Now, no distractions and no more accidents! No tea partying around people! It's training, not Breakfast at Tiffany's!"

Warren whispered in his ear,"You okay?" Will nodded, as Warren said,"Here, let me help you." He took Will's lip and heated his index and middle finger. He touched the bleeding area, as Will gasped. It stopped bleeding. Warren replied,"Heat stops blood. Sorry if it hurt, but it helps."

They started training again, until Coach blew his whistle and said,"Alright, it's seven. Go get dressed! See ya in gym in three hours!" They went and changed and left the gym.

* * *

The rest of day was distracting for Will. He couldn't stop thinking about Warren. It was hard enough since Warren was in most of his classes, and his after school training session. It was getting closer to another training session, and so far, he can't get Warren out of his mind. _What's wrong with me?! This isn't working! I just can't- _"Stronghold!" _Oh great!_ Warren walked up to him, and asked him,"Ready for training?" Will sighed,"No, I'm still sore from both this morning and gym!"

Warren looked at him oddly and asked,"You have super strength, how do you get sore?" Will replied,"Dad told me that for the first year of my powers, I can still get hurt." "Hmm. That's weird." "Kinda." Warren groaned and leaned back his head,"I really don't want to go to seventh period." "Why?" Warren sighed,"People in there won't shut up!" Will nodded,"I know. Ms. Trend is a good teacher, but doesn't know how to run a classroom to save her own life!" Warren replied,"I gotta go. Later, Stronghold."

Will sighed, and watched Warren walking down the hallway. He loved the way how Warren would call him by his last name. He can't imagine Warren calling him,"Will". It sounds too bland, too naked, too obvious. "Stronghold" sounded tough, mysterious, smooth, yet harsh. Will shook his head, and started thinking about chocolate again. He walked away thinking,  
_Chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip muffins, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate coated licorice... _


	14. Feeling Better

A few days later, Magenta was finally released from the hospital. Her training had to be more delicate than the other kids' training, but she was going to train like everyone else. As soon as she waited at the bus stop for her first day, Zach ran up to her and said,"Magie-Pooh! I missed you!" He hugged her tightly, as she said,"Whoa! Zach, take it easy and don't call me Magie-Pooh!" He let go and downward cast his face,"Sorry." Magenta looked at him with a little more pity and said,"I should at least give you this for the gift you gave me at the hospital." She kissed his cheek, as Zach's cheeks blushed.

Within, Zach felt as if a love explosion happened within his heart. He felt like he was floating or walking on air. Magenta shook her head and replied,"You're such a dork Zach, but you're my dork." The rest of the kids showed up, as they hugged her, and asked her how she was feeling. She replied,"Some of my bones are bruised, and I have reoccurring nightmares about what had happened that night, but other than that, I'm fine!"

Layla asked her,"Are you sure that you can handle training today?" Magenta replied,"Relax. Boomer knows what happened and everything and he told me that I was going to take it a bit easier than everyone else. I won't overwork myself." Ethan lightly touched her face and said,"You still have some slight bruising." Magenta replied,"Yeah, but it's worse in my upper cheekbones, though." Ethan winced, as Iah replied,"I thought you were going to recovering in a few weeks, not in a few days." Magenta shrugged,"They said if I didn't have a power, it would've been ten times worse and ten times slower with healing."

The bus came, as the kids got on. Ron greeted Magenta,"Hey Magenta! How are you since the accident?" Magenta replied,"Okay. Much better than I expected to be. I'm dreading this new training, though." Ron replied,"I hope you feel better and don't worry. You kids will get the hang of it sooner or later." Magenta sat down next to Zach, who was driving her nuts.

She felt like taking that kiss back and replacing it with a good, hard, punch in the face. He kept asking her these dumb questions and giving her these dumb nicknames;

"Magie-Pooh, are you comfy?"

"Majestic Magenta, do you need a pillow and does it need to be fluffed?"

"My Purple Queen, are you hungry?"

"Sexy Goth Kitten, do you need-"

"Zach! I'm okay! O.K! I don't need your help right now or anything. I'm fine. Please, stop asking me questions and calling me those stupid nicknames! Please!" He smiled and replied,"Just checking!" Magenta sighed and rolled her eyes. It's one minute, Zach actually seems sensitive and sweet, and the next, he's all silly and immature. She wants to be with Zach, she really does. Yet, sometimes it's Zach that makes it harder for her to tolerate him.

* * *

"C'MON! LET'S GET MOVIN', NOW!" Boomer yelled, blowing his whistle. The kids were both motivated and at their wits end with Boomer. Magenta looked at Layla and asked,"Does he always have to blow that stupid whistle?" Layla sighed and nodded with weariness,"Yes. In his head he thinks so. Personally, I find it very unnecessary and annoying." Coach Boomer blew his whistle and yelled at Magenta and Layla,"Quinn! Williams! This is no time to chat like little school girls! It's training time! Not "girl talk" time!" He blew his whistle again and screamed,"MOVE IT!"

Rogue sighed and told Ethan,"This man is killin' me!" "Really! And he's loud to the point where my head constantly hurts and my ears won't stop ringing!" He blew his whistle and said,"Time to change and go to first period!" They started walking to the locker rooms, as Boomer said,"Wait!" They stopped and turned around, as Boomer said,"For your constant talking throughout training, I'm going to push you even harder tomorrow! We're going to play Save the Citizen, run through more tires, and start dodging lazers! Now, go change quickly!"

The kids went to their gender separate locker rooms, and changed clothes. Afterwards, they went to their first period classes.

In third, the kids had gym and had to play Save the Citizen (like any other day!). Rogue hated it that Sidekicks and Heroes were separated because she enjoyed talking to Magenta, Zach, and Ethan. Yet, she still had Warren, Layla, Will, and Iah, so that was fine with her. Rogue started talking to Layla. Ever since they all became friends, Rogue had been enjoying having girl friends, and some more guy friends.

Rogue started complaining about Boomer,"I can't wait for this mission thing to start." Iah asked,"Why's that?" Rogue sighed, crossing her arms, using the girly attitude that she had inherited from her mom,"He pushes us around, bans us from talking, his big mouth and little whistle annoy me to no end and he's...he's...a big meanie!" Warren raised an eyebrow and said,"That's the best you can come up with? Big meanie?"

Rogue replied,"I'm just so tired from so much training to the point where my mental insults suck at the moment." Will looked at her and replied,"Well, Boomer yelling at us is better than a villain trying to kill us. If we tried doing the mission now without training, we'd be screwed!" Layla replied,"Yeah. That's why we need it." Rogue replied,"Why did it have to be so soon, though? I'm still not over Homecoming, and crawling in that tiny vent while wearing a dress, made me feel uncomfortable!"

Will smirked and joked,"Good thing the fans weren't on, or you would've been very uncomfortable!" She couldn't help but giggle and reply,"Yup! My dress would've been flying everywhere and my underwear would've been showing!" There was a pregnant pause, until Rogue replied,"Oh, there's something I need to tell you two!" She motioned to Will and Warren, and she replied,"My mom, Josie, and Carrie were talking yesterday and Josie told me that her and Steve found an old tape."

Will shrugged and replied,"Big deal. My parents find old VHS tapes around the house all the time." Rogue replied,"But this wasn't a regular home movie tape, though. Well, to me it wasn't and it brought back a lot of memories." Will replied,"What are getting at?" Rogue cleared her throat,"It was a tape of you and Warren when you guys were like two or three." Warren replied,"That's impossible. Stronghold and I didn't meet, until we were eight and that was at my dad's trial."

Will replied,"Yup, I remember he gave me that glare." Rogue shook her head,"No, no, no. Don't you see? Haven't you guys been listening to our parents lately? The three of dads were best friends. They are now, but for the longest time they weren't." Will replied,"Wren and I already knew that, but there was film footage?" "Of you two, yeah."

Will asked,"Did you see it?" Rogue giggled and replied,"Yeah! It was hilarious!" Will became impatient and replied,"C'mon! Just tell me!" Rogue was trying to hold back laughter, as she told them,"Um, you guys were playing with toys, but you took one of Warren's toys away, so Warren grabbed your arm and bit you as hard as he could."

Warren started smirked, as Will replied,"You bit me?! How dare you bite me?!" Layla and Iah started cracking up, as Warren replied,"Even when we were babies, I still kicked your ass." Will's face turned red and asked Rogue,"What else happened, after he bit me?" Rogue replied,"Well, Steve was filming and Josie held you, while you were crying and Aaron pulled Warren away, and he and Carrie started scolding him. There's more footage of you two. Warren, you were so mean! Will would be just sitting there, playing and you would tackle him for no reason or hit him, or something."

Will turned his head to Warren and replied,"You were abusive to me!" Warren was chuckling a little, as Will replied,"No! Stop it! All of you! It's not funny!" He pointed at Warren and replied,"He is evil! Evil!" Warren bit his finger and hit his arm, as Will pulled away from him and said,"See? You all saw that! He just bit and punched me! Right here and there!" Layla replied,"Will, you have super strength and you're acting like a big baby!"

Will pouted and replied,"Am not!"


	15. VHS Tape

When Will returned home from school that day, he noticed his parents weren't home yet. He looked around, thinking,_Okay, where's that tape? Where is it?_ He looked on the coffee table, but nothing was there. Then, he checked the DVD/VHS player beside of the t.v. He pressed the "eject" button on the player and found an old black VHS tape. It looked like it was in pretty good condition and it wasn't even labeled.

He popped it back into the player and hit "rewind". He grabbed the remote and changed settings on the t.v. He sat down on the couch and waited a few seconds for the home movie to start. Then the screen showed both Will and Warren as toddlers, playing in Will's front yard. Warren's hair wasn't as dark. but was still long for a three-year old's and had the red streak. It was a lot wavier then, than now.

_Will was playing with a toy dump truck, but Warren was playing with a fire truck. Will noticed that Warren's fire truck made noises and flashed lights, while his dump didn't do much of anything, except shovel up dirt. Will took the truck from Warren, and Josie said,"No, no, Will! We have to share. Give the fire truck back to Warren." Will shook his head, as Josie replied,"Will, you better give it back, or else you'll be in time out."_

_Will still didn't give it back, and when Josie was apologizing to Aaron and Carrie about Will's issues with sharing, Warren grabbed the fire truck from Will's delicate little hands, grabbed his right arm, and chomped down on it. Steve was panicking,"Josie! Josie!" The rest of the adults found Warren biting down on Will, as Aaron ran over to Warren and started pulling away and Josie starting running to Will.  
_

_Aaron tried pulling Warren away, but he latched on. Will was crying, as Josie was hugging him, and Warren just wouldn't let go. Aaron had to pinch Warren's nose, so he could let go and when he did, little teeth marks were left on Will's arm. He didn't make him bleed or anything, but left a mark. Aaron and Carrie were scolding Warren, and made him walk over to Will and apologize.  
_

_Warren walked over and apologized. He tried hugging Will, but Will was a little hesitant. He did hug back, and then they both started playing tag.  
_

_A few moments later, Steve started filming Josie, Carrie, and Aaron talking. Carrie and Aaron were sitting on the cushioned bench, while Aaron had his arm around Carrie. Josie was sitting on the porch swing, and Steve was sitting next to her. Carrie was apologizing for Warren's behavior,"We are very sorry about Warren biting Will. He's getting into a bad habit about biting things that he's not supposed to bite."  
_

_Aaron replied,"Yeah, there was an incident yesterday in the car with his biting habit. Carrie had to go to the bank after we had just finished taking Warren to the playground. I took him out of his car seat and sat him on my lap and let him play with the the steering wheel, while listening to music. He grabbed it with both hands, and clamped on to it with his teeth, and had his chest pressed against the horn."  
_

_Josie started started giggling and replied,"Are you serious?" "Yeah! And I slapped his hand and told him to stop and everything. He let go after five minutes of biting and then gave me this look of "what did I do?" and I asked him,"Warren, why did you bite it? You can't bite steering wheels." He asked,"Why?" That's his favorite word now. "Why". He loves that word."  
_

_Carrie replied,"He bugs me so much. Every question I ask him, he's like,"Why? Why not, Mommy? Why?" It annoys me to no end!" Josie replied,"Will's been like that with the word "no". Everything we tell him to do, it's always,"no" with him." Then, Will ran up the front porch and said,"Daddy! Daddy!" Steve panned the camera towards Will and said,"What is it, buddy?" He excitedly replied,"Look at Warren! Look at Warren!" Steve panned the camera towards Warren, and found him  
standing on top of Steve's car, flapping his arms. Aaron ran to the car, and once again scolding him.  
_

_He picked him up, took him to the porch, and sat Warren down between him and Carrie,"You're going to stay here for five minutes." Will asked,"Can I play with him?" Carrie replied,"Not for five minutes, sweetie. Warren got in trouble." "What did he do?" "He climbed on your Daddy's car. He can't do that. No one can do that." Warren replied,"But Mommy, I was trying to fly!" Carrie looked at him and replied,"Honey, climbing on cars is dangerous. You could hurt yourself."  
_

_Will climbed on the porch swing and sat between Steve and Josie. Steve looked at him and said,"Why are you sitting down? You're not in trouble." Will replied,"I'm waiting for Warren to get finished being in trouble, so we can finish playing!" Of course, the adults found it to be adorable, as Carrie looked at Josie and replied,"We've also made up a swear jar." "Really? How come?" Carrie replied,"Well, last week, some of Aaron's relatives stopped by, bringing their kids. Nickolai, one of their kids, has picked up cursing and said the "a" word in front of everyone."  
_

_Josie asked,"How old is he?" Carrie turned to Aaron and asked,"Honey, how old is Nickolai?" Aaron thought about it for a minute and replied,"Eight. Or, eight in a month or two." Josie sighed and replied,"That's too young to be saying things like that." Carrie nodded and replied,"That's the thing, his parents don't care. I asked his mother, Rebecca, about it, and she just giggled, saying,"Oh, it's just a phase. He'll get over it."  
_

_Carrie then said,"And the other day, Warren was doing something, and fell backwards on his butt. Then, he walked up to me and said,"Mommy, I fell on my..." Yeah. He said it."Josie gasped and replied,"What did you do? I mean, you can't be completely upset at him if he didn't know what it meant." "I asked him,"Warren, where did you hear that?" He looked up at me and said,"From Nicky, Mommy." Then, I knew he was picking it up from his cousin. For a split second, I thought it was from the t.v, playground, or one of us. Nope. It was from his cousin."  
_

_Josie replied,"And his parents are fine with him bad mouthing in front of a three-year old?" Aaron replied,"It's Ray's fault. It's all his fault! He simply doesn't care, and that makes me mad because I don't want my kid saying stuff like that." Carrie replied,"And on top of that, Warren's not only biting, but he's climbing. Aaron caught him two weeks ago sliding down the stair rail." Aaron nodded,"I don't know where he could've picked it up, but when I wasn't looking, he somehow got over the gate that leads to the upstairs, climbed up the top of the stairs, straddled the stair rail front first, and then slid down. I caught him sliding halfway, grabbed him and put him in time out."  
_

_Steve asked,"How did he get over the gate?" Aaron shrugged,"I have no idea! He's such a smart kid, but he gets into everything. Like, yesterday he climbed on top of the cabinet in the den, and tried to jump off and land in the laundry basket!" Josie replied,"Is he afraid at all?" Carrie sighed,"I doubt it. The thing is, he knows it will hurt and he knows not to do it and then goes ahead and does it!"  
_

_Josie replied,"He's definitely NOT afraid of heights, then! Will is. He tried going down the slide, but froze up and refused to come down. He was on his play date with Zach, Ross and Charlotte's kid, and he ran to me saying,"Will's stuck! Will's stuck!" I got up and he led me to the slide and Will was clutching on one of the handles on the slide, whimpering."_

_Carrie replied,"Poor kid. If he gets your powers, hopefully he won't be afraid of heights." Steve asked,"Is Warren showing signs of getting his powers yet?" Aaron replied,"Actually, yeah he is. Um, we lit up our fire place and Warren walked right up to it, and pointed at it. Carrie told him to stay away, and when she did, he stuck his entire arm in the fire." Carrie replied,"I screamed bloody murder, but then he pulled out his arm, and nothing. He was fine."  
_

_Steve was impressed,"Wow! At three years old?" Carrie nodded and replied,"He's probably going to be an early developer." Aaron replied,"I was. He's a year younger than me when I started showing signs, but he gets that from me." Steve replied,"I hope in the next three years or so, Will starts showing his powers." Aaron replied,"Give him time, just let him develop because if he starts school and has powers while they're developing, it's going to be very hard for him to hide them."  
_

_Aaron's watch beeped, as he looked at Warren,"Alright, you and Will can now." Warren got down, as Carrie turned him around and told him,"You and Will stay in the front yard, and don't climb anything that isn't meant to be played on, okay?" He nodded, as he and Will started playing again.  
_

__Will stopped the tape. He couldn't believe how far back this was. Other than the not sharing and biting, they got along pretty well. Will could tell by looking at the way he waited for Warren to get out time out that he really appreciated playing and being with him. Also, both of their parents were just getting along so well and talking about their daily lives. Looking back on it, it was a little depressing that Will couldn't spend the rest of his childhood with Warren. He was grateful enough to have his teen years with him, yet it would've been more with his childhood.


	16. Playground Funtime

The phone rang, as Will answered it,"Hello?...Hey Rogue...Hmm, sounds pretty fun...Is everyone else going to be there?...Even Warren?...Wow! I can't believe he actually agreed to go...Yeah, you must be special to convince him to do something like that...Yeah...Sure, I'll go...See ya there!" Will hung up the phone, left a note for his parents, put on his shoes, and left the house.

He was going to the local playground at Maxville Elementary School, a place where he hasn't been in years. It was a big playground, with many different sections, slides, swings, monkey bars, and anything that you can think of. Will had almost forgotten about it. It had been forever, since he and Layla both had played on that playground, let alone, at that school. He felt the fresh late September air hit his face, as he walked out the door and towards the playground.

He heard a door close behind him, as he heard a faint,"Hey." He turned around and saw Layla standing behind him. Will smiled and replied,"She called you, too, huh?" Layla nodded and replied,"It's been, how long?" "Years." Layla sighed and shook her head,"For me, it hasn't felt that long ago. It feels like just yesterday." Will nodded,"I know, but I really wanna go and hang out. I just watched the tape."

"What tape?" Layla asked. "The one Rogue told us about today in gym class." Layla replied,"Oh yeah! I remember now! How was it?" Will thought for a minute and replied,"It was different than what I had expected it to be." Layla walked closer,"What do you mean?" Will licked his lips and replied,"I mean, that no matter how mean Warren was to me, I still liked him, you know? It's kinda like that now, except Warren's grown a lot since then." "You've grown a lot since then, too. Everyone around us has."

Will smiled and replied,"Besides, when was the last time all of us spent time together as kids, rather than saving the school or busting someone from prison?" Layla giggled and replied,"Since the first day, we really haven't." Layla kissed Will's cheek and said,"C'mon, we have some friends that we need to catch up with."

* * *

Zach was trying to do pull ups on the monkey bars, but was failing. Magenta rolled her eyes and sighed,"Zach, your feet are touching the ground and you still can't do a pull up!" Zach replied,"I'm warming up!" Zach took in a deep breath, grunted, as he tried pulling up. Ethan replied,"Zach, you better stop before you hurt yourself!" "Hey! Is anyone going to push me on the tire swing?" Rogue yelled, trying to kick her legs on the tire swing.

Iah looked over at her, and walked towards her. He went behind her and pushed her. "Wee!" Rogue yelled, like a little kid. "Hey guys!" Will said, as he and Layla walked towards the group of kids. For some reason, the first question Will asked was,"Where's Warren? Rogue told me he was going to be here." Magenta raised an eyebrow and looked over at Layla, and then said to Will,"Near the fireman's pole and big slide. He's been there since we got here." Will smiled and replied,"Okay! Thanks!" He walked towards the direction where Warren was sitting, as Magenta lowered her voice and asked,"Why did he just ask me that?"

Layla shrugged,"I have no clue. Lately, he's been obsessed with Warren. All he does anymore is talk about him, talk about hanging out with him, and everything else. It's as if I don't exist anymore." Zach replied,"Not true! You so exist, Layla!" Magenta punched his arm and replied to her,"Talk to Will when you guys are alone." "You're right, Maj! I could talk to him at the Paper Lantern...no, I can't. Warren works there."

"How about at your house? That's pretty private." "Okay, on a day when both of my parents are working." They both looked at Iah pushing Rogue on the tire swing, as Magenta said,"When is that girl gonna realize how much Iah loves her?" Layla shrugged,"I've known Rogue for years. She's a stubborn, stubborn girl. Leave her alone, Maj. Just let her figure it out herself, instead of forcing it on her."

"I know, but it's killing me!" "How do you think Iah feels? He must be dying inside, too." They talked and played a while, as everyone else was enjoying themselves.

All, except, for Warren.

Will sat next to him and asked,"Hey, Wren! What's up?" Warren shrugged. Will could tell that there was something definitely wrong with Warren. Warren smirked, but in a negative way, as he said,"Nothing that would bother you, Stronghold." Will touched his shoulder, as Will replied,"Wren, please. Please tell me. I care about you."

"Why? Why should you care?" Will sighed,"Because you're not like the rest of my guy friends. Ethan's smart, but he knows things that confuse me. The only way we're on the same is with video games. Same with Zach. He's not very bright. We have quite a bit in common, and even though he's my longest guy friend, he's not always on topic with me. And Iah. I like the kid. He's cool, but he's just so...he's a puzzle piece. He's very confusing. I don't...I don't get him."

"So? Where does leave me?" "You're nearly my polar opposite, yet we're always on topic. You kick me in the ass when I most need it. You put me back on my feet when I fall. You correct my words, my mistakes. You help me a lot. I've never met anyone as brave as you. So, yeah I do care. I care a lot."

Warren replied,"So, with that heartfelt explanation, that's supposed to make me pour my heart out and dump my problems on you? Like in some little girl book or movie? That's not how things work out, Stronghold." Will shrugged,"You never know until you try." Will looked deep into Warren's eyes,"Now, please Wren. You can trust me anything. I swear I won't laugh or anything. I won't even go,'Oh you poor thing' on you because I know how much you hate that."

Warren looked at Will and said,"It's life. It's coming back here. I can't believe Peachy begged me to come back here." Will replied,"I know you never went to school here, but I think Rogue mentioned that Aaron and Rob would take you guys whenever your moms were out shopping or something."

Warren replied,"Our dads would give our moms "Mom Days", where they can have time off and watch and spend time with us kids." "What's wrong with that?" The wind started stir, lightly blowing Warren's hair around. With the expression on his face and the wind blowing through his hair, it made him look like a spiritual figure, almost ghost-like. Will shivered.

Warren continued;

_Rogue and I were four. We were just little kids. Yet, this one little kid came up to play. Rogue, being the talker that she always has been and always will be, gladly accepted him. Me, well, I wasn't very social. I don't even remember the kid's name, but he was nice. Very nice. Yet, his parents didn't think so. His mom or aunt or someone came up to us. She didn't very happy. She took one look at my long hair, my highlights, my black clothes, and my the way that my dad looked at said,"Sweetheart, don't play with the boy." He asked,"Why, Mommy? He's nice." She shook her head,"He's trouble. Look at him." She dragged him away. _  
_There were other times, too. A lot of times that parents wouldn't allow their kids to play with me because of the way I looked.  
_

__Warren smirked,"Of course they never minded Rogue. She would act cute and girly as always and they would melt like putty to her. With me, I was marked trouble since day one." Will replied,"People are stupid. Why are you letting what happened in the past bother you now?" Warren titled his head back,"Because it still does. When I was walking here, a little girl walked up to me, and said,'Hi.' That's all she said, until her mom dragged her away, and her mom yelled at me, yelled at her, and took her away."

Will shook his head,"People are idiots! My dad was one for judging your family, and now he's changed. He's realized the errors of his ways!" "Yeah, but no one else will. Your dad's one person, the people I've dealt with for years are many people. They will never change."

Will looked at him said,"Let's forget about this. I mean, Rogue invited us to play, not to sulk. C'mon," Will smiled real big,"let's act like little kids." Warren started to smile, when he said,"Stronghold, you're a giant dork." Will tapped Warren, saying,"Tag! You're it!" as, he slid down the big slide. Warren went down the fireman's pole and started chasing him.

Though Layla was happy for the both of them being friends, she couldn't help but wonder why Will has been acting so strangely lately.


	17. News and Feet

Will returned home that evening, with dirt under his fingernails and hands, sweat soaked on his face and hair, and a look of weary glee on his face. He was happy. Very happy. He spent a lot of time with his friends, especially with Warren. He didn't know why spending time with Warren made him feel as if he had butterflies in his stomach and his heart racing and his feet walking on air. It was mystery to him why he felt that way, as he walked into the kitchen door of his house.

Steve was in there, in his Commander uniform, sipping a soda. Steve never drank alcohol, unless it was occasional wine or champagne on dates with Josie. Will could tell by the look on his dad's face that something was wrong. _Oh god. What happened? Was it Mom? Was it one of my friends' parents? Did they lose a battle?_ Many negative thoughts swirled in Will's head, as he asked,"Dad, is everything okay?"

Steve looked at him and replied,"Sit down, son." Will's heart started to race with fear. His damp palms with old sweat, started to become wet with new sweat. His head spun with so many thoughts, giving him a dizzy headache, as if he rode The Bone Crusher roller coaster at the summer Maxville Carnival. He sat down on the stool at the kitchen island, as Steve sighed. He looked at Will with a somber, concerned look.

"Son," Steve started,"it's about the mission." Will gulped,"What about it?" Will's mouth was starting to feel dry, and the urge to drink a bottle of water started to hit him with impact. Steve sighed,"Will, the mission starts next weekend. Your mom and I received a phone call today about it. We called our friends. They received the same phone call. It's bad, Will. It's very bad."

Will tried to swallow, but his throat felt blocked. He rasped out,"How bad?" Steve replied,"Look, I hate worrying you about this, so I won't go into any details. I'll just say to work and train as hard as you and your friends can to protect yourselves. We'll be there, too. "We", meaning us parents. We won't let you kids down, we promise. Your mom and I will watch after you, and make sure that you're okay."

Will looked at his father and asked,"So, does Coach Boomer know?" Steve nodded,"Yes Will, he does. You're probably going to hate him for next few days, but he only does this to help and protect you kids from the real monsters and villains that your mom and I face everyday." He patted his son's shoulder,"Try not to worry too much about this. Get plenty of rest and leave all the worrying to the adults. You're still a kid. You don't need all of this stress right now."

Will replied,"Thanks for telling me, Dad." Will left and went upstairs to shower and get ready for bed. All he could do was worry, no matter what his dad told him.

* * *

That night after changing into pajamas, Carrie stared into the mirror. She looked at her still-flat stomach, knowing in the next couple of months, it will grow. She also thought about the mission. She closed her eyes and breathed out. _I'm not ready. I'm not ready for this. I'm retired and I have a baby on the way. I don't think I can do this. _A small tear went down her face, as she felt worried.

All of a sudden, Aaron comes into their bedroom, angry. Carrie turned her head and asked,"Babe, what's wrong?" Aaron angrily changed out of his costume, and replied,"No matter what I do, or who I save, people still hate me!" He was down to his pants, as Carrie walked up to him and said,"Hey, look at me." His amber eyes looked into her blue. He started to calm down, as she said,"Talk to me. Tell me what's going on."

Aaron sighed, as he sat down on the bed. Carrie sat next to him, stroking his dark, wavy long hair. Aaron told her,"I found the girl. I found the girl who was kidnapped a few days ago." "That's great!" Aaron sighed,"Yeah, until her parents start screaming at you." Carrie replied with shock,"Why did they do such a thing? You saved their little girl." Aaron replied,"Apparently, all they did was complain to me about my background, and why it took so long to find her, and a bunch of other b.s."

Aaron fell back on the bed, as Carrie crawled up next to him,"Babe, don't listen to them. You saved a little girl, and no matter what people say, you're a good person." Aaron rolled over to face Carrie, and smiled a little. He took her hand, kissing it a little, and stroking it with his thumb,"I love you." Carrie kissed his lips,"I love you, too." They pulled away, as Aaron asked her,"How was your day?"

Carrie replied,"Stressful. So many people weren't at work today, so I was stuck helping more women than usual. I had the worst headache earlier." Aaron smirked,"Want me to help? You know how I can take stress away from you?" Carrie giggled, and replied,"Yeah. Go ahead." Carrie scooted backwards and sat up, leaning back on the pillows,"The kids are asleep." Aaron crawled to her, and started kissing her neck, passionately. Carrie turned off the lamp, feeling her stress leaving her.

* * *

"Urgh! Magenta, your foot's smaller than mine!" Layla whined. They were in Rogue's room, as they were spending the night at her house were all lounging on Rogue's queen-sized bed. Rogue was drawing faces on her toes with a blue ink pen, while Layla and Magenta were comparing feet sizes to one another. Magenta chuckled,"It's not my fault that you have low self esteem with your feet! I mean, a size nine and a half isn't bad." Layla grabbed her right foot and replied,"Yeah, but I have the biggest feet in this room. You're a size six, and Rogue's about a size seven and a half!"

Rogue looked at her and said,"Layla, I'm going to say this as nicely as possible. Shut up! No one cares about your feet size!" Layla replied,"I do. Oh man, my left big toe looks way wider and bulkier than my right!" Rogue looked at Magenta and said,"Out of all the people to have body issues, it had to be Green Peace!" Magenta replied,"I know, right!"

Layla hit Magenta with one of Rogue's pillows. Rogue replied,"Ooh! Look at Miss Mother Teresa hitting another person! That's gonna look real nice for your pacifist attitude at the animal shelter!" Layla gave her a glare, as Rogue replied,"Nice try hon, but still not as scary as Warren's." Magenta replied,"Yeah, you might wanna take notes the next time Warren gives you that look."

Layla rolled her eyes,"I'm serious guys, I hate my feet! They look weird!" Rogue replied,"They do not look weird! They look average to me. Trust me, I've seen worse." Magenta replied,"Yeah, my great-aunt's got some nasty feet. And she sometimes makes me rub them!" Magenta started gagging, as Rogue said,"Don't puke on my bed!" "I'm not going to!" Layla asked Rogue,"Do you have a movie planned for us tonight?" Rogue replied,"Just let me look at my collection, okay?"

Rogue walked to her movie shelf and looked for a DVD.

* * *

After Will showered, he lied down in bed, scared about the outcome of what could happen next weekend. _What if something terrible happens and we all end up missing or dead? What if this is more powerful than all of us put together?_ He yawned and started to drift off to sleep.


	18. Gazpacho, V8 Juice, and Cooked Carrots

The air was getting cooler. The warmth of summer was fleeting, as the cool, crisp air of autumn was now arriving. A chill went up Magenta's spine, as she sat on a swing on Rogue and Logan's swing set,"I can't wait to start the mission in the tropic islands! It's starting to get cold here!" Will sighed, as his hands rested on the top of the bar,"I can. Something tells me that this isn't what it seems to be."

Ethan looked at him, while sitting on the see-saw,"We're super kids, Will. We're going to be fine. We've kicked butt before, and we can surely do it again." Rogue looked at Will and replied,"Yeah, and also we'll have our parents. It's going to be alright." Layla concentrated on the tree vine, trying to make a lemon, but ended up making a tomato. "Shoot! I still can't make lemons!" Will replied,"But you can make ketchup!" "Or V8 juice!" Rogue replied. The kids, not including Layla, made a face of disgust, as Rogue replied,"What? V8 juice is pretty good with a little salt added to it."

Ethan made a "blech!" noise and replied,"V8 juice reminds me of cold tomato soup!" Zach shook his head,"Cold soup always ruins a person's good time." Layla replied,"Gazpacho is pretty good and it's cold soup." Will shook his head,"Gazpacho is a cry for help. It's saying,'Help! I need to be put in the microwave for a minute or two! Help!' " Layla threw the small tomato at him, as it broke into pieces. "Ew! You got that all over my jacket!"

Zach sniffed his jacket and replied,"Yeah, but you smell delicious!" Zach stuck out his tongue, and slowly tried to make his tongue taste the spot on Will's jacket that had the tomato mark on it. Will quickly moved away and replied,"Hey! You're not licking this jacket at all, Buster!" Zach frowned and started whimpering like a puppy and whined,"But I'm hungry!" He fell off the other side of the see-saw on the ground, and clutched to his stomach, whining,"Help me! I'm so very hungry!"

Layla made an apple and tossed it at Zach. He failed catching it, but dusted it off, saying,"Thanks!" He started eating it, as Rogue sniffed the air,"Other than the tomato splattered all over Will's jacket, I smell something in the air." Magenta asked,"What do you smell?" Zach asked,"Does it smell like teen spirit?" Then, he starts laughing and rolling on the ground,"Get it? The song by Nirvana? Smells like Teen Spirit? Hahahahahahaha!"

Then, Zach starts choking on the apple, as Ethan replied,"I can save him!" Ethan does the Heimlich maneuver on Zach, as he coughs the apple. He projectile coughed it, as it hit Will in the face. Will cried out,"Why must fruit hate me? Gahh!" Everyone started laughing, as Rogue replied,"I smell fingernail polish, Mondo juice, and...carrots?" Magenta replied,"That's weird." Then, Rogue sniffed her zipper from her jacket,"Ooh, it's my zipper!" She put the zipper under Magenta's nose,"Smell my zipper?" Magenta replied,"Uh, okay?" She smelled it and replied,"It does have an odd nail polish scent to it."

Will asked,"Can I smell it?" "Sure!" Will smelled it, and said,"To me it smells like the cooked carrots that we used to eat in kindergarten at lunchtime." Layla replied,"Oh yeah! I remember those! They had the best cooked carrots ever!" Zach replied,"I know, right? And I hate cooked carrots, but those were the best ones!" Ethan wrinkled his nose,"I never liked cooked carrots. Whenever my dad made them, he would put too much pepper in them." Zach replied,"Whenever my mom made roast, she would put took much salt and would even put vinegar in it!"

Magenta made a face and replied,"Who puts vinegar on roast?" Layla replied,"Apparently, Zach's mom!" Will replied,"Vinegar always makes my face turn sour my it makes me feel like that my cheeks might pop out of my head!" Magenta replied,"When I was little, my cousin Fungus dared me to drink an entire bottle of vinegar, so I stomped on his toe. He cried a lot that day." Rogue replied,"Fungus? You have a cousin named Fungus?" Magenta nodded,"His real name is hard to pronounce, so everyone calls him,'Fungus'."

Zach said out loud,"I had toe fungus once. It was awful." Will replied,"I had a wart on my big toe once. I would hop on one foot and chase Layla around without shoes on and tried to give her the 'wart's curse'. Remember that?" Layla replied,"Ew! Unfortunately, I do and that was horrible!" Rogue asked,"What's the 'wart's curse'?" Will replied,"It was back when we were five. I had a small wart on my toe and I kept thinking it was a witch that gave it to me. So, I thought that if I passed it to someone else, the curse would leave me."

Magenta said,"You were such a bizarre child!" Will replied,"I watched a lot of t.v as a kid." Layla replied,"You still watch a lot of t.v!" Zach started laughing and replied,"Will, dude, do you remember your bad habit?" "Shh! No one needs to know about that!" Everyone looked at Will and Zach, as Magenta asked,"What bad habit?" "Nothing!" Will replied,"I DID NOT have a bad habit!" Rogue asked,"Zach?" Zach was laughing and replied,"He would smell his feet and other people's feet!"

"Ew!" Everyone else said, as Layla asked,"How come I never knew about that?" Will sighed,"Zach, you swore when we were nine that you wouldn't tell anyone about that!" Zach replied,"What about the Barney posters that you kept, until you were eleven?" "Zach!" Everyone started laughing, as Will turned red,"You swore you wouldn't make a peep about that!"

Ethan replied,"We won't tell a soul! We swear!" Will replied,"You better not! I mean, seriously Zach, when a person says to keep it to yourself, they mean to keep that secret to your grave!" Zach replied,"Okay, okay. I promise. Yet, what about the Teletubby dolls that you sometimes still sleep with at night?" Will glared at Zach, as everyone was doubled over laughing.

Layla looked at Will and said,"This stays at the swing set, okay Will?" Will nodded and replied,"Please don't tell anyone, especially Warren! He would never let me live it down!" The kids enjoyed their time together, before the mission would start to unfold.


	19. Preparation

"Are we all set for tomorrow?" Josie nodded,"Yes. I have all of my things packed, I packed up Loraine's things, and I checked all of Will's." "Good. I'll get our R.V set for tomorrow." Josie sighed,"Steve, are you sure we'll be able to fit twenty people into one R.V? I mean, don't you think that's a little uncomfortable?" Steve looked at her and replied,"Josie, this isn't any ordinary R.V! This is a super R.V!"

Josie gave him a look and asked,"Meaning?" "Meaning that it can fit an entire classroom of people, plus it's the perfect disguise, so no villains can find us!" Josie replied,"I just hope we can get everything ready for tomorrow. I don't know why I have so many butterflies in my stomach right now."

"Oh, don't be nervous, Josie! We're going to be fine!"

Loraine and Will were sitting on the stairs, over hearing their parents. "Will?" Loraine asked. "Yeah?" "I'm a little scared. I don't have powers. What if something happens to me?" Will looked at her and replied,"Don't worry, Rae. Everything's going to be fine. " "Then, why is Mommy so nervous?" Will sighed,"It's nothing that you need to worry about. Look, we're going to be okay. If anything happens, we have our parents to back us up. No one will hurt us, okay?"

Loraine nodded, as she asked,"Are you scared?" Will looked at her and replied,"Nah, I'm okay. It's not going to be scary, trust me." Loraine left and went to her bedroom, as Will stayed on the stairs, listening to his parents speaking to each other. He hated lying to Loraine, but he didn't want her to worry. She's been through enough and he didn't want to put anymore baggage on her.

* * *

"Do you have everything all packed?" Carrie asked. Warren nodded, while reading a book, while Iah replied,"Almost there. There's still some things that I need to pack up." Carrie replied,"You still have plenty of time, until tomorrow. Just relax, okay?" Iah nodded, as Carrie walked out of their room. After she closed the door, she started to cry. Aaron walked over to her and asked,"What's wrong?" Carrie walked into their bedroom, as Aaron followed behind her.

"Aaron, I don't know about this." Aaron closed the door, as Carrie threw herself on the bed, crying on the pillow. "It seems as if this is all happening so quickly." Aaron walked to the bed and curled up next to her. He stroked Carrie's hair and comforted her,"Nothing bad will happen to you or our children. I'll make sure of it." Carrie replied,"But all of these new emotions and everything else that's been going on and now this, dropping on us like a bomb. I don't feel ready."

Aaron kissed her forehead,"Look at me." She looked at him, as he told her,"You're amazing. We can do this. We have been ready. Warren and Iah are ready, too. They may be young, but they know what they're doing." Carrie replied,"But I haven't been in the hero business, since before Warren was born." Aaron kissed her and said,"You're a powerful woman, and you're going be okay. Don't worry."

Carrie rested her head on Aaron's well muscled chest. She said to him,"This is wearing me out." Aaron replied,"Let's just relax for a few hours." Carrie wrapped her arms around Aaron's torso, as Aaron embraced Carrie.

Iah had been listening, perking his ear up to the door. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but he could tell by looking at Carrie that something wasn't right. Iah felt like crying, too, but he knew this wasn't time or place. He had duties, and crying wasn't one of them. "What are you doing?" Iah nearly jumped, as he turned around. Warren was behind him with his arms crossed.

Iah replied,"Nothing." "Doesn't look like nothing." Iah gulped. There was something about Warren's gaze that scared him, and he didn't want to take any chances with making him mad. Iah replied,"I'm just sitting out here, trying to find a sock." Warren raised an eyebrow. Iah nearly died inside, _A sock? A freakin' sock? I'm the worst liar ever! _Iah went into their room, as Warren heard something downstairs. He heard a **thud**, so he went downstairs. He looked around, and found the tip of a small pink sock hiding behind the kitchen island.

He rolled his eyes, as he heard constant giggling. He found Rogue on her stomach, facing away from him. He cocked an eyebrow and smirked. He asked,"What are you doing here?" "GAHHHHH!" Warren giggled, as Iah came flying down the stairs, nearly slipping asking,"What was that?" Warren lightly kicked the bottom of Rogue's foot and replied,"Just a little pest."

Rogue turned around and stuck out her tongue. She replied,"My parents sent me here to tell you guys that we need to take the stuff to the Stronghold's R.V immediately." "Already? I thought we weren't doing that, until tomorrow." Rogue shrugged,"Mom told me that Steve wanted to go ahead and get it out of the way before we leave tomorrow. Everyone is at Will's, and by everyone, I mean all of our friends and their parents."

Warren turned and looked at Iah, saying,"Go upstairs and get Mom and Dad. Tell them to get their stuff and go to Stronghold's house." Iah groaned,"Why do I always have to do it?" Warren glared at him, as Iah replied,"Yes sir!" He ran upstairs to get his parents, as Warren rolled his eyes. He turned to Rogue.

"Get up from the floor! Unless, I can use you as a mop, get up. Now!" Rogue got up and said,"Geez, someone's a little bossy today!" Warren sighed,"I'm just irritated." Rogue nodded,"I know. It's like we finally get some breathing room, and now this. It's just stacking one issue after another." Rogue popped her knuckles, and sat down on one of the chairs next to the island,"I'm hungry."

Warren replied,"What do you expect me to do? Make you a sandwich?" Rogue batted her eyes,"Could you please?" "No!" He messed up her hair with his knuckle, as she squealed,"Ew! I just straightened my hair not that long ago and now you messed it up!" "You're such a princess." "Yeah, yeah, make me sandwich!" Warren flicked Rogue's ear, as she let out a,"OW! Why do it?!" Warren chuckled, as Iah came back downstairs,"Mom and Dad are coming down in a few minutes. Mom said to get our bags and wait at the Stronghold's for them."

Warren looked at Rogue and replied,"Princess, make yourself useful and help us carry our stuff to Stronghold's." Rogue groaned,"But I just carried my stuff down there, along with some of Logan's stuff!" "Oh, quit whining you big baby!"

* * *

"Ew! Stop burping your ABC's, Zach!" Layla complained, as Zach burped in her face afterwards. Ross, Zach's dad, looked at him and said,"Behave yourself!" Charlotte gave Zach and Ross a big hug and kiss and said,"I'm going to miss you so much!" Steve and Russell (Ethan's dad) were putting some bags into the R.V, while Loraine and Emma were playing tag with Logan. The older kids were helping the adults by watching the younger kids and/or putting their favorite foods in the R.V.

Jennette had the phone in her hand and walked to Rob,"Honey, it's your parents in Tampa. They want to talk to you and say goodbye before we leave tomorrow." "Alright. Wait, where's Rogue? She needs to tell her grandma and grandpa goodbye, too." "I think she's still at Warren and Iah's house. She's probably helping them with their things." Rob found the rest of the kids walking from the Peace's house,"Ah, there she is! Rogue, sweetie, your grandma and grandpa are on the phone! They want to talk to us before we leave!"

Rogue set the suitcases and other things down and ran towards her dad. Warren set some bags down and walked over to Steve and Russell,"Let me help with that, Mr. Stronghold." Steve, breathless, looked at Warren and said,"Thanks, Warren! Where's your parents?" "They're on their way here. They just had to get their stuff first." Russell looked at Warren and said,"Oh, you must be Warren Peace! My son Ethan speaks very highly of you." Warren could easily tell that Russell was Ethan's dad. They looked very much alike. Both wore glasses and wore orange. Russell turned to Steve and said,"I'm going to miss Mae and Ethan so much. So is Emma. Mae had to sleep in Emma's bed last night because she wouldn't stop crying for her."

Steve replied,"Oh, but her mom and older brother will be back before she knows it!" "By the way, how are you and Josie adjusting to Loraine living with you?" Steve beamed,"We absolutely love it! Ever since Josie found out that we couldn't have anymore children, she was so depressed. Yet, Loraine comes along, and Josie and I treat her as if she was our own flesh and blood daughter."

"How's Will reacting to her?" "Oh, he loves her to death and Loraine looks up to him. It's been a joy having her living with us. I wouldn't trade her for anything." Russell looked over at Warren and asked,"And you, son, how is everything with your parents? I heard about the new baby and Iah living with you. Is that going well?" Warren nodded, as Steve asked,"Oh, and Warren, could you help me tie the raft to the top of the R.V?" Warren helped Steve out with the raft, as Loraine and Emma hugged each other.

"I'm going to miss you, Rae!" Loraine looked at her and replied,"I know, but I won't be gone long, I promise." Emma started to cry a little,"My mommy, my big brother, and my best friend are leaving me behind!" Loraine replied,"I know. I'm sorry, but I have to go, Em. I have to." Emma replied,"You have to, absolutely HAVE to tell me everything that happens on the trip!" Loraine replied,"I will! Hey Em, can I ask you something?" "Okay!" Loraine looked up at Warren on top of the R.V, wearing his tight black tank top, tight black jeans, tying the raft to the vehicle. She asked her best friend,"Do you find Warren cute?" "Who's Warren?" "That cutie on top of the R.V. The one with the long hair." Emma looked up at him and said,"Oh, he's friends with Ethan and you draw pictures of him all the time at school!"

"Shh! Emma! No one needs to know about that!" "Sorry, but it's true. Hmm, he is cute. He has a nice smile." Loraine nodded, as Emma asked,"Does he have a girlfriend?" "Uh, yeah!" "Who?" Loraine smiled deviously,"Me of course!" Emma stared at her for a minute and then asked,"Then, how come I never see you go out on a date?" "Uh, well, he hasn't asked me yet." "Oh. Has he given you flowers or candy?" "Well, um, no. Wait, he has hugged me and called me cute nicknames!"

"What kind of cute nicknames?" "Like shorty, and...um...that's about it." "I'll go ask him if he likes you back." Loraine grabbed Emma's arm,"No!" Emma looked at her oddly,"Why not? I mean, if he likes you back-" "I...I just...he hasn't said that he loves me back...yet." "Then, how are you two together?" "It's...it's...weird, okay? I mean, I'm in love with him, but I don't know if he loves me back." "That's why we have to ask him. C'mon!" Loraine mumbled,"Oh gosh, I hope he likes me back." Emma took Loraine's hand, as Warren was now back on the ground, helping Will out with some of his suitcases.

"Stronghold, why do you have so much crap in here?" "We're going to be gone for a long time!" "Not for THAT long! You need to put some of this stuff back." Warren felt a small tug on the bottom of his tank top. He looked down and found Emma and Loraine. Emma said,"Excuse me, but we have to ask you something." Warren knelt down, and replied,"Okay. What do want to ask me?" Emma cleared her throat and replied,"Rae really likes you, but-" Loraine let go of Emma and ran into her house as fast as she could. "Rae!" Emma yelled. Emma sighed, and looked at Warren, saying,"Excuse me for a minute."

Emma ran into the Stronghold's house, as Warren stood up. He looked at Will, as Will said,"Just in case you didn't know, that little girl is Emma. She's Ethan's little sister." Warren nodded and replied,"Okay." "Rae seemed to have something on her mind. I'll be right back." Will went into the house, as Rob was now on the phone with his parents. Aaron walked up to him and said,"Hey man, how's it going?" Rob put his hand on the receiver,"On the phone with my parents. They wanted to say goodbye before we leave." Steve walked up to Aaron and asked,"Hey Aaron, could you help us out for a sec?" "Sure!"

* * *

It was now night. All of the adults, the parents, were downstairs in Steve and Josie's living room. The kids (except for Logan. He was downstairs with Rob and Jennette) were upstairs in the hallway, nervous about the next day. Will broke the awkward silence by saying,"This is it. Tomorrow, it's now or never." Magenta replied,"This is a huge step for us." Layla replied,"At least we're still together. We don't have to do this alone." Rogue asked,"What if they do split us up? What if one of us goes missing."

Ethan replied,"I know. Will, does your dad have any tracking devices to where we can all keep up with each other?" Will shrugged,"I don't know." Zach replied,"Doesn't sound all that bad. I mean, we're going to a tropical paradise here! Palm trees, ocean water, green jungles, sexy jungle women, it'll be awesome!" Iah asked,"Zach, you do know that the tropical island jungles are filled with dangerous plants and animals and are inhabited?" Zach replied,"Inhabited with sexy Amazon ladies!" Ethan shook his head,"What Iah means is humans don't live in places, such as the tropic jungles. It's nearly impossible."

Will replied,"Guys, everything's going to be fine. Just think of it like a vacation." Warren replied,"Yeah a vacation where villains are trying to kill us." Loraine yelped,"Who will kill us?!" Iah replied,"No one sweetie. Everything's going to be fine." Iah looked at Warren,"Try to be careful around my little sister, okay?" Warren glared at him, as Loraine asked,"Warren, will you protect me if a giant spider tries to eat me?" Warren smiled at her and replied,"Shorty, giant spiders aren't real." "But what if they were? Would you still protect me?" He tousled her long dark hair,"Of course."

Loraine blushed, as Will said,"Let's not worry about this. We're all going to be okay. Let's make this fun and memorable." Magenta replied,"Yeah, I would hate for this to be boring as crap. I would hate to get a t-shirt saying,'I went on a mission, but all I got was this lousy t-shirt'." Rogue beamed,"Also, this will be like a giant slumber party! All of us in our p.j's, eating junk food and talking. It'll be so much fun! I'm glad I brought board games for us to play! EEEPPP!"

Warren replied,"Oh great, she's squealing like a school girl. Now she knows why I won't watch t.v with her." Layla beamed,"Oh c'mon, we need to be perky right now. Rogue's right, it'll be like a huge sleepover!" Warren,"Yeah and while you two little fan girls are screaming and giggling, the rest of us will be saving the world." They both glared at him, as Josie yelled from downstairs,"Kids, it's nearly bedtime. Will, Loraine, get ready for bed. The rest of you, your parents are leaving and want you down here."

They said goodbye to each other, as they all went home and went to bed. The next day was going to be nerve wrecking for everyone.


	20. RV

"Alright! Everyone's here! I'll start up the R.V, while everyone gets in!" Magenta groaned,"We're driving this thing all the way to the tropics?" Lydia replied,"No sweetie. We're driving this to...to...huh. I don't know." "You don't know?!" "Honey, I'm just leaving all of this information to Steve and Josie. Steve told us that he'll explain all of this to us when we get there." Magenta and Lydia were the first ones to get in, and Layla and her mom, Chelsea, came in after Magenta and her mom. Layla's eyes widened,"It's wide!" "I know! Very roomy!" One by one, everyone got in the R.V, trying to get comfortable.

Steve started the R.V, as Josie sat in the passenger seat next to him. Everyone else was talking and getting to know each other, except for Will. Will was sitting on the red leather couch, feeling sick. He looked almost pale-green, and was sweating like crazy. He felt like he was losing his breath, and his hands started shaking. "Stronghold?" Will found Warren sitting next to him, as Will replied,"Oh, hey Warren." Warren asked,"Are you okay?" Will lied,"Yeah. I'm fine. Just really excited, that's all." Warren looked at him, as Will shuddered. There was something about Warren's gaze that gave shivers down Will's spine. Will's heart started racing, as Warren touched his shoulder,"You wanna talk?" Will looked at his feet, _Why is Warren wearing that black tank? It looks tight enough to show his abs and it's always showing off his biceps. _

Will shook his head,"It's nothing important." Warren raised an eyebrow, and replied,"You sure?" Will sighed,"No. Warren, I have to talk to you about something. It's about this trip. You see, I'm really-" "Yo Will! Check this out! I'm finally on the last level on my Mario game!" Will turned his head to his right and looked at Zach's yellow Game Boy Advanced, as Warren glared at Zach. Zach looked at Warren and said,"What? What did I do?" Warren kept glaring at Zach, until Zach fled away, scared. Will said,"You know what, how about we discuss this tonight, while everyone's asleep. It's too noisy now." Warren nodded and walked away from the couch.

* * *

As time passed, Steve found a place where he could park the R.V for the night, so that everyone could sleep. The parents already made rules that boys and girls could not sleep together in the same room. Getting ready for bed, however, was chaotic. The kids were trampling each other, trying to get their pajamas and other things that they needed to go to sleep. It was very loud and very obnoxious. The parents were trying to help organize things, but the kids kept arguing with other.

After the parents sorted things out (and threatened to take away things, if the kids didn't start behaving), it was a quiet, peaceful night. The only noise that stirred was the white noise machine that Rogue needed to go to sleep. Where the boys slept, Will was lying next to Warren, as he gently tapped him, whispering,"Warren. Warren. Hey, wake up." Warren's eyes opened, as he looked at Will,"What do you want, Stronghold?" "Remember when I told you that I needed to talk to you about something?" Warren rolled over, facing away from Will,"Could we talk in the morning?" "But-" Warren rolled back over, facing him and said,"If you disturb me one more time, you're going to end up sleeping in an ash tray!" Will gulped, as he said,"Goodnight."


End file.
